Has the gap between EUW and NA ever been bigger playerbase-wise?
If you’ve ever wondered whether the gap between the European West (EUW) and North American (NA) League of Legends playerbases has grown wider than ever, you’re not alone. I recently took a deep dive into the stats and trends around this topic, and the numbers paint a pretty clear picture. Let’s chat about what these gaps mean and why they might be growing.
The current landscape: What does the playerbase look like?
Right now, EUW boasts nearly 4 million total players, compared to NA’s roughly 1.75 million. That’s more than double the size! When we zoom into the upper tiers, the difference is even more striking. According to op.gg leaderboards, EUW has around 19,000 players in Master+ rank, whereas NA only has about 8,000.
Even the cutoffs for the top ranks differ significantly. For example:
- EUW’s cutoff LP for Grandmaster sits around 832 LP, and Challenger at 1,160 LP.
- NA’s Grandmaster cutoff is about 543 LP, with Challenger at 905 LP.
These figures suggest not only are there more high-rank players on EUW, but competition is fiercer as well.
Has the gap ever been bigger?
From what I could gather digging through past data and discussions, the gap has indeed been widening over the years. One reason likely is the sheer influx of new players in EUW, partly driven by greater population density and bigger esports scenes in Europe.
NA, meanwhile, has faced some challenges retaining players, especially at the top levels. Reasons could range from server stability issues early on to shifts in player interests.
Why does this matter?
You might ask, “Does it really matter if EUW has so many more players than NA?” Well, yes — it affects matchmaking, tournament quality, and the overall experience. For example, with a larger player pool, EUW can sustain highly competitive ranked ladders that push players to improve.
On the other hand, NA players might face longer queue times or less consistent matchmaking at high ranks. This can impact the growth and appeal of the game regionally.
What’s behind the widening gap?
A few possibilities come to mind:
- Population differences: Europe simply has a larger gaming population interested in League.
- Infrastructure and servers: Historically, NA servers had more issues, which might’ve slowed growth.
- Esports influence: EUW has more established amateur and semi-pro scenes that feed into the competitive community.
- Cultural factors: Gaming culture and preferences differ subtly across regions.
Could this gap ever shrink?
It’s not impossible. Riot has taken steps recently to improve NA servers, offer better content, and grow grassroots events. If these efforts succeed, NA’s playerbase might become more competitive and larger.
Also, the playerbase evolves naturally with game updates and shifts in player interest, so the gap could narrow or even reverse.
Final thoughts
The gap between EUW and NA in terms of playerbase size and rank distribution is definitely one of the biggest it’s been, at least in recent years. Whether it keeps growing or starts shrinking depends a lot on how both regions evolve, both in gameplay and community support.
For anyone curious about competitive League of Legends scenes, these numbers tell a fascinating story about regional differences and challenges.
If you want to explore more on League rosters and tier analysis, check out this [Link to related post]. And for a deep dive on how ranked systems work, Riot’s official page is a great resource Riot Games Ranked System.
Image suggestion below shows an abstract graph illustrating the playerbase sizes of EUW and NA with clear labels.
Hope this gives you a clear view next time you wonder: has the gap between EUW and NA ever been bigger playerbase-wise?
Happy gaming!
