According to the
visa manual of the German Foreign Office, the eSport-Bund Deutschland (ESBD) is the leading association in Germany for esports.
According to the list of qualified tournaments ("Liste qualifizierter Spielbetriebe im E-Sport") from April 2021 following tournaments are considered to be “professional practice”:
• League of Legends European Championship (Riot Games, League of Legends)
• League of Legends Prime League Pro Division (Riot Games, League of Legends)
• ESL One Cologne (ESL Gaming GmbH, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
• ESL One Germany (ESL Gaming GmbH, Dota 2)
• ESL Meisterschaft (ESL Gaming GmbH, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Warcraft 3 Reforged, Clash of Clans)
• 99 Damage Liga (Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
You can download the list
here.
The content of the law is controversial in detail. Unlike the sports visa, coaches are not included. The federal government bases this on the fact that there are no corresponding training structures in esports. The esports definition refers only to precision esports and is therefore narrow. The required gross salary is not adapted to the conditions in esports. The ESBD is not (yet) an association comparable to traditional sports. It is unclear why - unlike traditional sports - an esports of "significant national and international importance" is necessary. Details can be found in following publications (in German):
Das deutsche eSport-Visum (Teil I) - Eine kritische Analyse des § 22 Nr. 5 BeschV (The German Esports Visa (Part I) - A Critical Analysis of § 22 No. 5 BeschV) and
Das deutsche eSport-Visum (Teil II) - Eine kritische Analyse des § 22 Nr. 5 BeschV (The German Esports Visa (Part II) - A Critical Analysis of § 22 No. 5 BeschV)