Who Are The Richest Esports Players?
In 2020, esports betting has become a global phenomenon and with millions of dollars contested for at the top tournaments, the sport is hardly strapped for cash. Thanks to the popularization of Twitch as a streaming platform, Esports has been broadcast to fans all over the world and it continues to go from strength to strength.
In 2019 alone, more than $215 million was awarded across more than 4,600 tournaments. In the first half of 2020, there was $32.5m offered in prize money. The average age of the top 25 earning players is 24 years old and the United States has been the most successful country in collecting prize money.
But who is at the top of the pile? Who are the richest Esports players? Most of the top entries listed specialise in DOTA 2, but the guys mentioned have been masters of their trades and continue to excel. Read on to find out who occupies the top eight spots in the table of richest Esports players.
Johan Sundstein (Denmark)
The Danish Dota 2 superstar became the top earner in all of esports in 2019 after he played an instrumental role in guiding OG to victory at The International for the second year in a row.
Aside from his impressive paydays at T18 and T19, Sundstein enjoyed incredible success alongside OG and Team Secret prior to TI which sets himself apart at the top of the list. To date, he has made just shy of $7million in career earnings.
Kyle Giersdorf (USA)
The master of Fortnite, Kyle Giersdorf enjoyed a quick rise to prominence. Fortnite exploded into life in 2018 and Giersdorf was a catalyst for its success.
Giersdorf helped invest millions of dollars into funding tournaments for Fortnite. Otherwise known as the “Bugha”, he pushed him hard into esports supremacy in 2019 and he has earned himself $3m.
Andreas Hojsleth (Denmark)
The Danish clutch master, Andreas “Xyp9x” Hojsleth lifted his fourth Valve Major with what is widely regarded as one of the best teams in CS:Go (Counter Strike Go).
Hojsleth played a key role in his team’s rise to fame and he helped them stopped from choking on the biggest stake. With Hojsleth on board, they enjoyed a transformation and they cleaned up their act as they climbed to the top of the standings in CS:GO.
Lee Sang-hyeok (South Korea)
Known as “Faker” to those in the Esports community, Lee Sang-hyeok is one of the most celebrated pro gamers of all time. Faker has been the one constant of T1 which has a three-time world championship-winning roster.
The 24-year-old not only claimed the world championship in his debut season, but he is still regarded as one of the greatest players to compete in League of Legends. According to EH, he has collected over $1.3m in prize money in his stellar career.
Feg (Japan)
Having made a second appearance at the Shadowverse World Grand Prix in 2018, the Japanese star got a taste for the big stage quickly and he has fully earned the right to call himself a champion.
Although he was something of an unknown entity before he got into Esports, he appears to be rather unnerved and can handle himself well when the heat is on. To date, he has collected $1m and he is one to keep your eye on.
Lee Byeong Yeol (South Korea)
Hailing from South Korea, Lee Byeong Yeol quickly established himself and asserted himself as one of the best Starcraft 2 players. With victory at IEM Katowice in 2020, Yeol boosted his bankroll considerably.
He recently enjoyed a spurt of wins and he is targeting the number one spot. To date, he has amassed $860,000 in career winnings.
Ian Porter (USA)
Ian Porter can only be described as a Call of Duty (COD) phenomenon as he has won three world championships. His win ratio is nothing short of incredible. Throughout the course of his career, he’s come out on top in 37 major tournaments.
The success he has to date has seen him collect more than $800,000 in winnings and he has won more tournaments than any other COD player.
Park “Loki” Jeong Yeong (South Korea)
The 22-year-old South Korean has taken PUBG by storm and he has proved to be a model of consistency too. Over the last couple of years, he has secured multiple top-three finishes and he won the PUBG Global Invitational in 2018.
As well as that, he dominated the MET Asia Series in 2019 and he has accumulated just over $700,000 in prize money so he is a force to be reckoned with.
