The League of Legends World Championship, a global phenomenon, is an annual esports tournament organized by Riot Games. It is the pinnacle of the professional LoL esports circuit, with teams from all corners of the world vying for the prestigious Summoner's Cup. This event, a beacon of the esports world, draws in some of the largest viewership numbers in the industry.

How do teams qualify?

Securing a League of Legends World Championship spot is no easy feat. Teams earn their place through a grueling journey, showcasing their skills in their respective regional leagues and tournaments. Each region, be it the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) in North America, the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) in Europe, the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) in China, or the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) in South Korea, among others, has its own competitive league. The number of slots awarded to each region is a testament to its competitive prowess, with the strongest regions earning more spots.

Once the teams have qualified, they participate in the Play-In stage or the "Group Stage," where teams are divided into groups. They compete in a round-robin format, playing against each other team in their group. The top teams from each group advance to the knockout stage.

Following the group stage, the tournament enters the knockout stage, a heart-pounding phase comprising various rounds of single-elimination matches. Teams battle it out in best-of series, usually best-of-five, with the winners advancing to the next round and the losers being eliminated from the tournament. The knockout stage includes quarterfinals and semifinals, each round escalating the competition to a new level of intensity and culminating in the grand finals.

The grand finals, the pinnacle of the tournament, is where the top two teams face off in a best-of series to determine the champion. Often highly anticipated, this match is watched by millions of viewers worldwide. The winning team not only claims the prestigious Summoner's Cup but also secures a place in history as the best League of Legends team in the world for that year, a title that is both hard-earned and highly coveted.

However, Worlds is not only about the competition but also about the spectacle. The tournament is held in different locations worldwide each year, with Riot Games selecting iconic venues to host the event. These venues are often filled with enthusiastic fans, creating an electric atmosphere akin to traditional sports championships.

What does it mean to the players?

Winning the League of Legends World Championship is the pinnacle of achievement for any professional LoL player and team. It solidifies their place in esports history and can elevate their careers to new heights. Moreover, Worlds plays a pivotal role in the growth and popularity of League of Legends as an Esport, continually attracting new fans and players to the game each year, thereby shaping the future of the sport. And, of course, the prize money, Worlds 2023, had a prize pool of $2,250,000, obviously a very substantial amount for any gamer out there.

History of Worlds

Now that you know everything there is to know about Worlds, let's take a trip into the past and look at all the previous events, their winners, where they were held, and any other interesting facts about the tournaments.

Season 1 World Championship

The first iteration of Worlds took place in June 2011 at Dreamhack Summer in Sweden. This tournament saw eight teams from across Europe, North America, and Asia fighting for the title and the $100K prize pool. European international side fnatic won the first Worlds, with Polish mid-laner Maciej “Shushei” Ratuszniak getting the first-ever MVP award.

Season 2 World Championship

Season 2 of Worlds was held in early October of 2012 and took place in Los Angeles. The teams competing went up from eight to twelve, and these teams competed for a record-breaking prize pool at the time of $2M, with a massive $1M going to the victors. The eventual champions were Taipei Assassins, who bested Azubu Frost in the grand final in front of 10,000 fans in the Galen Center. There was no official MVP of the Season 2 World Championship.

Season 3 World Championship

For consecutive years, Worlds took place in California, with Season 3 also being held there. The competing teams again rose, this time to 14 teams, with representatives from Europe, North America, Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. The final, which took place inside the Staples Center, saw Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and SK Telecom T1 lift the trophy and become world champions. Season 3 again broke viewership records, with 8.5M concurrently watching the final.

2014 World Championship

The fourth iteration again saw an increase in teams attending, with sixteen teams, fourteen qualifying from the major regions and two wildcard teams. The 2014 World Championship took place between September and October, eventually leading up to the final in the Seoul World Cup Stadium in South Korea. On home soil, South Korean team Samsung Galaxy White took the trophy, with Support player Cho “Mata” Se-hyeong picking up the MVP award.

2015 World Championship

Heading into the 2015 season, Riot Games made a few changes to the League of Legends competitive landscape. The number of teams participating in the LCS increased from eight to ten in Europe and North America. A second Riot Games official tournament was also introduced - the Mid-Season Invitational. Additionally, coaches were made officially recognized members of the team. The 2015 World Championship was held across Europe in October 2015, with SK Telecom T1 winning their second title inside the Mercedes-Benz-Arena in Berlin, Germany. Their top laner, Jang “MaRin” Gyeong-hwan, won the MVP award for the event, an event which again saw records broken, with 14M concurrent viewers on the final.

2016 World Championship

The various stages of the 2016 Worlds were held across the United States in Chicago, San Francisco, New York City, and ultimately the Grand final in Los Angeles. 2016 saw another big increase in the prize pool, with $5M spread among the attending teams and around $2M to the winners. SK Telecom T1 was victorious again, being the first (and only) team to win back-to-back Worlds, beating Samsung Galaxy 3-2 in the final. Faker was awarded an MVP for stellar performances throughout the tournament.

2017 World Championship

The 2017 World Championship saw Worlds return to Asia, with the event being held throughout China and the final in Beijing. Twenty-four teams battled it out for the trophy, but we eventually got a repeat final, with Samsung Galaxy reversing the result from the previous year and getting their revenge on SK Telecom T1, beating them 3-0 in the Grand final inside the Beijing National Stadium. Their AD Carry, Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, was named MVP, while the event received worldwide attention for its high level competition and its moments of drama and emotion.

2018 World Championship

The 2018 World Championship was held across South Korea, with the final taking place in the Munhak Stadium in Incheon. Worlds 2018 again saw twenty-four sides fighting for the trophy, with the event being played on Patch 8.19. Champions Aatrox, Alistar, and Urgot were extremely prevalent in the tournament, with the three characters being picked or banned in over 90 percent of games. The final saw Invictus Gaming take on fnatic and eventually beat them 3-0, netting China and LPL their first Worlds title. Chinese Jungler Gao “Ning” Zhenning was awarded the MVP following their victory.

2019 World Championship

In 2019, again twenty-four teams battled it out for the World Championship, with 2019’s iteration of the competition taking place across Europe, with the play-in and group stages held in Berlin, Germany, the quarterfinals and semifinals in Madrid, Spain, and the final in the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. In 2019, a Chinese team was again victorious, with FunPlus Phoenix, this time the victors, beating G2 Esports 3-0 to get their hands on the trophy. After the tournament's conclusion, Gao “Tian” Tianliang was named the MVP.

2020 World Championship

2020’s addition featured twenty-two teams, with both qualifying through the Vietnam Championship Series unable to attend the event due to COVID-19 restrictions. All games led to a grand conclusion inside the Pudong Football Stadium in Shanghai, China, where, in front of a measly 6,312 fans, DAMWON Gaming lifted the trophy. The Korean outfit bested Suning 3-1, but that didn’t stop Chen “Bin” Zebin from making history, achieving the first “Pentakill” in the final of a World Championship on the second map of the series. Korean jungler Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu was named the MVP of the event.

2021 World Championship

Only 22 teams were able to attend in 2021 also, again due to COVID-19 restrictions. The 2021 World Championship was held in Reykjavík, Iceland, with all games taking place inside Laugardalshöll with no crowd in attendance. The final was between EDward Gaming and defending champions DWG KIA (formerly DAMWOM Gaming), but the Korean couldn’t manage to retain their title, losing out 2-3. Edward Gaming's mid laner, Lee “Scout” Ye-chan, was awarded the MVP, and despite the lack of in-person fans, the final’s peak viewership broke records with 73.86 million concurrently.

2022 World Championship

2022 saw the world return to normal and therefore the teams in attendance again rise to twenty-four. However, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the CIS region was unable to send a representative to participate in the event. The 2022 World Championship took place throughout North America, with the play-in taking place in Mexico City, the groups and quarterfinals in New York City, the semifinals in Atlanta and the Grand Final in the Chase Center in San Francisco. DRX defeated T1 3–2 in a close final, becoming the first team to win the title coming all the way from the play-in stage. DRX's top laner, Hwang “Kingen” Seong-hoon, was named the MVP of the 2022 World Championship.

2023 World Championship

The 2023 World Championship was held in two cities in South Korea - Seoul and Busan. The format for 2023 Worlds was different compared to the previous editions, with the group stage now being a swiss-system tournament prior to the playoffs. The final was played in the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul where T1 defeated Weibo Gaming 3–0, extending their record for the most world championships won by a single team with four titles. T1's top laner, Choi “Zeus” Woo-je, was named the MVP of the World Championships, while teammate Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok became the first player to win four Worlds titles.

The Upcoming 2024 World Championship

The 2024 World Championship will be held from 25 September to 2 November 2024. The event will be taking place throughout Europe in three cities Berlin, Paris and London. Twenty-two teams will qualify to participate at the World Championship based on placement within their own regional leagues and results gained in this years' Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). It was revealed during the finals' broadcast of the 2023 World Championship, that the finals of the 2024 Worlds will take place in London at The O2 Arena.