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As a Brit, I know London for many things: the always slightly too warm but no less incredible 'tube' transport network, all the times I've overheard my fellow Brits mistake the Houses of Parliament for 'a big church,' and black snot. Okay, maybe that last one was oversharing. Anyway the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wants to add esports to that list.
Khan has been in Tokyo, Japan this week and visited the Red Bull Gaming Sphere alongside London-based esports company Fnatic yesterday. The Mayor expressed he wants to make London the "the esports capital of the world" in a post about the visit on X.
The Mayor also wrote, "London is ready to level up and lead the world in esports." A London Assembly press release goes on to elaborate on these ambitions, explaining that "Esports has grown into a multi-billion global industry over the last decade, and is predicted to grow from $2 billion to nearly $10 billion by 2033."
London itself has already seen big wins from esports events, with the 2024 League of Legends World Championship Final at the O2 apparently contributing £12 million to the local economy, and the 2025 Blast Premier London Open at OVO Arena Wembley generating £30 million. As such, London City Hall has commissioned a report to explore how exactly the capital can get a slice of that lucrative pie.
London also wants to leverage esports as a way to increase "opportunities for young people" too, of course. In addition to persuading more big events to bring their money to London, the report recommends "expanding access to esports careers through schools, apprenticeships and training providers," and "bringing together universities and employers to build partnership and talent pipelines."
London is ready to level up and lead the world in esports.At the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in Tokyo with Fnatic and Sony, I set out my ambition for London to be the esports capital of the world. pic.twitter.com/dLqAF7XEuwJune 18, 2026
Okay, let me dispense with the badly veiled cynicism: As much as I want to bring as many people into games as possible, I feel conflicted about the city going all-in on esports when I know there are plenty of young people in London (and the wider UK) whose basic needs are simply not being met. Obviously, PC gamers can care about more than one thing at a time—we are pro-multi-taskers, after all—and it's entirely possible we can enjoy a bit of esports as a treat while we also make efforts to eradicate child poverty.
But looking to the niche industry of esports as a good source of opportunities for young folks feels short-sighted at best. For one thing, many esports stars enjoy shorter careers than other sports professionals, with many retiring in their 20's. With 1.01 million people aged between 16 to 24 neither in education, employment, or training in the UK, I'm not completely convinced that esports is the play to make at this point in the game.
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