Winter registrations for the 2025/26 Ireland Esports Collegiate Series reveal a competition rebalancing, refining and maturing. Now our last structural change is rolled out with the introduction of the Premier Division, the early trends show a nominal drop in casual entries, more structured squads and a clear surge in engagement that strengthens the pathway-to-pro and enables first-team identity.
The topline?
Total teams are up. Premier Division is off to a successful start. The competitive core is strengthening. Open Division is levelling out the social element of esports.
📊 Winter at a glance
Total teams registered: 103 (up 14 from 89, +15.7%)
Total unique players: 518 (down 25 from 543, –4.6%)
Active institutions: 14 (down from 16)
Valorant remains the most popular title, followed closely by League of Legends and (unexpectedly) a sharp rise in Overwatch 2 participation.
Top performers by Winter player count:
TUD (89), QUB (64), UCD (64), DCU (61), MU (53)
The surface-level drop in unique individuals can be misread if taken in isolation - ultimately Teamfight Tactics dropped off, almost completely, due to an upgrade that didn’t go down well across the entire TFT community. We expect this to reverse once the next update is released.
Two standouts that the data reveals is a sharp rise for Overwatch 2 based on a successful test in Spring 2025 and structured competitive engagement driven heavily by the introduction of the Premier Division.
🏆 Premier Division: The big mover
One of the most important signals in the data is how quickly universities have embraced the new top tier.
10 universities registered Premier Division teams
7 universities competed across all four Premier titles (Valorant, LoL, CS2, Rocket League)
The distribution of Premier Division entries shows healthy competitive depth, with Valorant out in front and LoL + CS2 close behind
Unfortunately Rocket League has come into question, while we’ve had six entries in the Premier Division the depth isn’t there in the Open Division
This pattern mirrors traditional university sport: fewer but more committed squads playing for something meaningful — performance recognition, visibility and a pathway-to-pro.
The Premier Division isn’t replacing broad participation — that’s still the Open Division’s job — but it anchors the series with a competitive standard that campuses can rally behind. Just one Premier Division TikTok post was viewed by more than 60K people!
🎮 Participation is changing shape — and that’s good
Three insights stand out:
1. Teams up, players slightly down
This combination suggests better roster discipline and more intentional team formation. Societies are submitting squads, not just signups.
2. Some campuses are clearly resetting
BM, UL, and MTU accounted for the largest YoY drops — but each is undergoing structural transitions that explain the shift.
3. Title preferences are evolving
Overwatch 2: surged from 6 to 22 teams after its successful Spring trial
TFT: dropped (30 to 11) due to the map change — but expected to rebound
Rocket League and CS2: notable declines in team entries, signalling areas for targeted activation
Across the board, it’s a more intentional player base — something you’d expect from a system maturing into a national competition ecosystem.
🏫 Who’s leading the charge?
The familiar heavy hitters continue to perform:
TUD leads Winter participation (89 players)
QUB and UCD share second (64 each)
DCU close behind (61)
MU rounds out the top 5 with a strong 53
Campus-level structures matter — and these numbers reflect societies that have built strong internal momentum in recent years. Big shout out to the Esports Society Committees that are leading the charge locally - and of course our network of Student Reps!
🎯 What this means for the year ahead
The early Winter dataset points toward a Collegiate Series entering its next phase of evolution:
Stronger competitive structures
Higher performance standards
More organised pathways from campus to broadcast
A Premier Division that’s already delivering on its purpose
As onboarding continues and squads settle into Spring preparation, we expect Rocket League, CS2, and TFT to stabilise — while Valorant, LoL, and OW2 continue growing.
“This is exactly the direction we anticipated the Premier Division would take us in. The societies are getting stronger, the structures are getting clearer and students are backing this introduction of performance esports at third level. Open Division remains our community engine — the new one is our competitive benchmark and sits neatly alongside traditional sport teams.”
The story of 2025/26 isn’t fewer players — it’s better teams, stronger campuses, and a performance tier that’s finally taking shape.
Find out more on the Collegiate Series at www.irelandcollegiate.com and check out www.irelandesportsleagues.com for updates on our Schools Series and Company Series, Office Showdown.