While the vertical may not be as attention-seeking or headline-grabbing as its sports betting counterpart, the world of esports has continued to rise throughout 2025 and will now be placed into the spotlight at ICE Barcelona in January 2026. Indeed, the conference will play host to its first-ever EAFC (formerly FIFA) tournament, live from the conference hall’s eSports Arena, sponsored by Oddin.gg for the second consecutive year. Within a “football-themed battle arena,” as described by ICE, eight of the highest-ranked pro EAFC players will go head-to-head in a World Cup-style format to see which contestant will take home a €10,000 ($11,790) cash prize.   

Oddin.gg will also be providing analysis for each matchup featured across the tournament, as well as live odds and gameplay being broadcast for all eSports Arena attendees. The eight competitors will be selected from multiple countries represented at the ICE conference each year to form a round-robin-style contest which pits the EAFC pros against each other in head-to-head matchups.   

For the conference’s inaugural event in Barcelona last year, the eSports Arena hosted a single elimination Formula One simulation tournament, with multiple sim-racing professionals in attendance. Those participating in the 2024 eSports Arena at ICE Barcelona were also offered virtual reality and tactile feedback through each run, as the event helped showcase the impressive growth of the esports industry across the prior 12 months.   

Perhaps exemplifying best how esports and fellow gaming verticals such as sports betting can be integrated together, Inspired Entertainment formed a new partnership with Altenar on March 7 to feature its Virtual Sports products within Altenar’s sportsbook platform, making the content available to customers for the first time. While the collaboration helped Altenar extend its reach to LatAm, the operator currently serves consumers in over 30 countries, including those set to be represented at the ICE Barcelona conference in 2026.   

The ICE conference has been fruitful in its attempts to not only grow the esports community as a whole but highlight the best female pro gamers from across the world as well. In 2023, which represented the final time ICE was held in London prior to its move to Barcelona, the eSports Arena featured the all-female ShEsports Cup team, including many of the world’s top female EAFC pros. Perhaps acting as inspiration for its 2026 counterpart, the eSports Arena venue allowed guests in London to compete with the female EAFC pros, while spectators were also introduced to the world of online gaming from an entirely new perspective.   

Discussions centered around eSports will be a hot topic of ICE Barcelona 2026, especially with an eSports Betting Conference set to be held on 20 January, or the second portion of the three-day ICE event next year.   

“Focused on the convergence of esports and betting, the Esports Betting Conference is for anyone looking to gain a competitive edge in these rapidly innovating fields or wishing to understand the player data behind what drives them,” ICE stated within the event’s agenda.   

Later on 20 January, a panel covering the future of esports and its growing influence across the industry will also be presented for attendees, examining how industry professionals identify opportunities, the types of partnerships being prioritised and the long-term vision driving esports growth. The panel will additionally touch on how industry experts are shaping the esports ecosystem and defining standards, as well as how current initiatives within the vertical can impact game development.  

Given the integration of AI and data-driven analytics within esports betting offerings, a discussion regarding how analytics, AI and real-time data are transforming engagement and betting models across the scene will be provided for spectators as part of ICE Barcelona 2026 on 20 January.