Table of Contents
League of Legends World Championship Returns – China is once again set to host the League of Legends World Championship this year, the biggest tournament in the esports world for a single game, sparking excitement about the chances of a home team making it to the finals.
League of Legends World Championship Returns to China Amid Esports Boom
The event, often called “Worlds,” will kick off in Beijing on October 14. After that, the action will head to Shanghai for the quarter-finals and semi-finals from October 28 to November 2, according to Riot Games, the developer behind League of Legends and a subsidiary of Tencent. The grand final will be held on November 9 in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China.
This year, 17 teams from around the world will battle it out for the Summoner’s Cup, the championship trophy, and a hefty prize pool.
China’s Edward Gaming last claimed the title in 2021, when they won the finals in Reykjavik, Iceland. Hosting the 2025 Worlds is another sign of how far China’s esports scene has come, with strong support from wealthy young investors and growing influence on the global stage.
China’s Esports Industry Bounced Back in 2024
China’s esports industry made a strong comeback in 2024, with revenue climbing 4.6% from the previous year to 27.6 billion yuan (about US\$3.8 billion), according to a December report from the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association. The rebound was driven by both government support and major efforts from gaming giants like Tencent and NetEase.
This growth followed a dip in 2023, when revenue fell by 1.3%. That slump was mainly due to a drop in esports live-streaming, which made up more than 80% of the local market at the time.
A Billion Hours Watched: The Legacy of the 2020 Worlds in Shanghai
The upcoming 2025 League of Legends Worlds Championship will be the third time China has hosted the event, after previous editions in 2017 and 2020. The 2020 Worlds in Shanghai set a record, with over 1 billion hours of online viewership, according to Riot Games.
Originally, China was supposed to host the World Cup for two straight years, but the 2021 tournament was relocated to Reykjavík due to travel restrictions during the pandemic.
From 2022 to 2024, the event took place in the US, South Korea, and Europe. The first Worlds tournament was held back in 2011.
Chinese teams have had strong showings in the past. Before Edward Gaming’s victory in 2021, FunPlus Phoenix brought the Summoner’s Cup home in 2019, when the tournament was hosted across Berlin, Madrid, and Paris.
League of Legends, developed and launched by Riot Games in 2009, is a popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. Riot became part of Tencent after the Chinese tech giant acquired a 93% stake in 2011 and bought out the remaining shares in 2015.
ALSO READ: Evoke plc: The Power Behind 888casino’s Success
