League of Legends World Championship
The League of Legends World Championship (commonly abbreviated as Worlds) is the annual professional League of Legends world championship tournament hosted by Riot Games and is the culmination of each season. Teams compete for the champion title, the 70-pound (32-kilogram) Summoner's Cup, and a multi-million-dollar championship prize. In 2018, the finals were watched by 99.6 million people, breaking 2017's finals' viewer record.[1] The tournament has been praised for its ceremonial performances,[2][3] while receiving attention worldwide due to its dramatic and emotional nature.[4][5][6]
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| No. of teams | 8 (2011), 12 (2012), 14 (2013), 16 (2014–2016), 24 (2017–2019), 22 (2020)[a] |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Damwon Gaming (1st title) |
| Qualification | Regional leagues (list) |
| Official website | {{URL|example.com|optional display text}} |
| Related competitions | Mid-Season Invitational |
The League of Legends World Championships has gained tremendous success and popularity, making it among the world's most prestigious and watched tournaments, as well as the most watched video game in the world. Due to its success, esports scenes became prominent and widely seen as a potential Olympics event, already being included as a medal event in 2022 Asian Games.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
The tournament rotates its venues across different major countries and regions each year. South Korea's T1 is the most successful team in the tournament's history, having won three world championships.[13]
Trophy
Riot Games, which owns League of Legends, commissioned the winner's trophy known as the Summoner's Cup. Riot specified that it should weigh 70 pounds, though the actual weight of the finished cup was reduced so it would not be too heavy to lift in victory. Thomas Lyte, having already created the Season Two World Championship Cup in 2012, crafted the winners' trophy for the 2014 games.[14]
Overview
Results
| Year | Final location | Final | 3rd–4th | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Score | Runner-up | |||||
| 2011 |  Jönköping
|
 Fnatic
|
2 | 1 | against All authority
|
 Team SoloMid (3rd)
|
Epik Gamer (4th)
|
| 2012 | Los Angeles
|
File:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Taipei Assassins | 3 | 1 | Azubu Frost
|
CLG Europe
|
 Moscow Five
|
| 2013 | Los Angeles
|
SK Telecom T1
|
3 | 0 |  Royal Club
|
Fnatic
|
NaJin Black Sword
|
| 2014 | Seoul
|
Samsung White
|
3 | 1 | Star Horn Royal Club
|
OMG
|
Samsung Blue
|
| 2015 |  Berlin
|
SK Telecom T1
|
3 | 1 | KOO Tigers
|
Fnatic
|
Origen
|
| 2016 | Los Angeles
|
SK Telecom T1
|
3 | 2 | Samsung Galaxy
|
H2k-Gaming
|
ROX Tigers
|
| 2017 | Beijing
|
Samsung Galaxy
|
3 | 0 | SK Telecom T1
|
Royal Never Give Up
|
Team WE
|
| 2018 | Incheon
|
Invictus Gaming
|
3 | 0 | Fnatic
|
Cloud9
|
G2 Esports
|
| 2019 |  Paris
|
FunPlus Phoenix
|
3 | 0 | G2 Esports
|
Invictus Gaming
|
SK Telecom T1
|
| 2020 | Shanghai
|
Damwon Gaming
|
3 | 1 | Suning
|
G2 Esports
|
Top Esports
|
| 2021 | TBA
|
TBD | – | – | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2022 | 23x15px TBD | TBD | – | – | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Regions which have reached the top four
(*): Region had two teams that finished in 3rd/4th place in this year.
| Region | Titles | Runner-up | 3rd–4th |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea (LCK)
|
6 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020) | 4 (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017) | 4 (2013, 2014, 2016, 2019) |
| China (LPL)
|
2 (2018, 2019) | 3 (2013, 2014, 2020) | 5 (2014, 2017*, 2019, 2020) |
| Europe (LEC)
|
1 (2011) | 3 (2011, 2018, 2019) | 8 (2012*, 2013, 2015*, 2016, 2018, 2020) |
Template:Country data TW  Template:Country data Southeast Asia TW/HK/MO/SEA (PCS)[b] |
1 (2012) | ||
 North America (LCS)
|
3 (2011*, 2018) |
Teams which have reached the top four
* Background shading indicates a team/organization has been disbanded, acquired or no longer participates in the regional league.
| Team | Titles | Runner-up | 3rd–4th |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1[c] |
3 (2013, 2015, 2016) | 1 (2017) | 1 (2019) |
| Gen.G[d] |
2 (2014, 2017) | 1 (2016) | 1 (2014) |
| Fnatic
|
1 (2011) | 1 (2018) | 2 (2013, 2015) |
| Invictus Gaming
|
1 (2018) | 1 (2019) | |
| File:Flag of the Republic of China.svg J Team[e] | 1 (2012) | ||
| FunPlus Phoenix
|
1 (2019) | ||
| Damwon Gaming
|
1 (2020) | ||
| Royal Never Give Up[f] |
2 (2013, 2014) | 1 (2017) | |
| G2 Esports
|
1 (2019) | 2 (2018, 2020) | |
| Hanwha Life Esports[g] |
1 (2015) | 1 (2016) | |
| against All authority
|
1 (2011) | ||
| CJ Entus
|
1 (2012) | ||
| Suning
|
1 (2020) | ||
| Epik Gamer
|
1 (2011) | ||
| Team SoloMid
|
1 (2011) | ||
| CLG Europe
|
1 (2012) | ||
| Moscow Five
|
1 (2012) | ||
| Fredit Brion[h] |
1 (2013) | ||
| Oh My God
|
1 (2014) | ||
| Astralis[i] |
1 (2015) | ||
| H2k-Gaming
|
1 (2016) | ||
| Team WE
|
1 (2017) | ||
| Cloud9
|
1 (2018) | ||
| Top Esports
|
1 (2020) |
League Of Legends World Championship Media
A group picture of the Taipei Assassins, the champions of season 2.
- SK Telecom T1 at LoL World Championship 2013.jpg
A group picture of SK Telecom T1, the champions of season 3.
- LOL2016WorldsFinalsArena.jpg
The Staples Center in Los Angeles as used for the 2016 League of Legends World Championship final
- League of Legends World Championship 2017 Finals.jpg
The stage for the 2017 League of Legends World Championship final between SK Telecom T1 and Samsung Galaxy in the Beijing National Stadium
Notes
- ↑ Teams from the Vietnam Championship Series were unable to compete due to COVID-19 restrictions.
- ↑ In 2012, Taipei Assassins competed in the Garena Premier League, which included teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asia, but the regional qualifiers for Worlds were split for each region.
- ↑ Previously known as SK Telecom T1
- ↑ Previously known as MVP Ozone, Samsung Galaxy Ozone, Samsung Galaxy Blue & White, Samsung Galaxy, and KSV Esports.
- ↑ Previously known as Taipei Assassins
- ↑ Royal Club was relegated to the LoL Secondary Pro League (LSPL) by Gamtee during the 2015 LPL Summer promotion tournament. Shortly afterwards, Gamtee was acquired by Royal Club and rebranded as Royal Never Give Up. Royal Club has since remained in China's secondary league, now known as the LoL Development League (LDL), as the organization's academy team.
- ↑ Previously known as Huya Tigers, GE Tigers, KOO Tigers, and ROX Tigers. The team was rebranded as Hanwha Life Esports in 2018, but has yet to qualify for the World Championship under that name.
- ↑ Najin Black Sword and Najin White Shield were merged into NaJin e-mFire in 2014. In 2016 the team was acquired by Kongdoo Monster, whose CK spot was then acquired by Brion Blade in 2018. No iteration of the team has qualified for the World Championship since 2013.
- ↑ Previously known as Origen.
References
- ↑ Goslin, Austen (11 December 2018). "The 2018 League of Legends World Finals had nearly 100 million viewers". Rift Herald. https://www.riftherald.com/2018/12/11/18136237/riot-2018-league-of-legends-world-finals-viewers-prize-pool. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ↑ Allen, Eric Van. "League of Legends World Finals Had A Freaking Dragon". Compete. https://compete.kotaku.com/league-of-legends-world-finals-had-a-freaking-dragon-1820142112.
- ↑ "The opening ceremony for the 2017 World Championship finals had a live performance and a dragon". The Rift Herald. https://www.riftherald.com/lol-worlds/2017/11/4/16605868/league-of-legends-worlds-2017-opening-ceremony.
- ↑ Dwan, Hannah (19 October 2017). "The League of Legends 2017 World Championship quarter finals have started | Where to watch, our predictions, and the results so far". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/news/league-legends-2017-world-championships-watch-predictions/.
- ↑ "LoL Worlds: Fenerbahçe shines on Day 4". ESPN.com. http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/20824301/2017-league-legends-world-championship-play-ins.
- ↑ News, Blasting. "'League of Legends' 2017 world championships, semi final recap SKT vs RNG". Blasting News. http://us.blastingnews.com/gaming/2017/10/league-of-legends-2017-world-championships-semi-final-recap-skt-vs-rng-002127883.html.
- ↑ Walker, Alex (in en). More People Watched League of Legends Than The NBA Finals. https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/06/more-people-watched-league-of-legends-than-the-nba-finals/.
- ↑ "Top Games by Esports and Total Viewing Hours on Twitch". Newzoo. https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/new-twitch-rankings-top-games-esports-total-viewing-hours/. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ↑ "Gaming numbers top NBA Finals, World Series". ESPN.com. http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/page/instantawesome-leagueoflegends-141201/league-legends-championships-watched-more-people-nba-finals-world-series-clinchers.
- ↑ "Here's why League of Legends video game rules eSports". Fortune. http://fortune.com/2015/10/29/league-of-legends-video-game-championship/.
- ↑ Wong, Joon Ian. "Competitive video gaming is going to the 2022 Asian Games, but it's been a medal sport for a decade". Quartz. https://qz.com/963274/esports-are-going-to-the-2022-asian-games-baba-but-its-already-been-a-medal-sport-in-asia-for-a-decade/.
- ↑ Myers, Maddy. "Esports Will Become A Medal Event At The 2022 Asian Games". Compete. http://compete.kotaku.com/esports-will-become-a-medal-event-at-the-2022-asian-gam-1794431163.
- ↑ "LoL Esports". www.lolesports.com. http://www.lolesports.com/en_US/articles/sk-telecom-t1-wins-world-championship-again.
- ↑ "Behind League of Legends, E-Sports's Main Attraction". The New York Times. 12 October 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/technology/riot-games-league-of-legends-main-attraction-esports.html.