League of Legends World Championship and Other Tournaments

LoL is a full-fledged, professional esports with all the ingredients. The game boasts a large audience of fans who actively watch League of Legends tournaments. The championships gather hundreds of thousands, millions of active viewers, which makes the game the most popular in the broadcast section on Twitch.

Each LoL tournament is usually held among professional teams. To get into serious competition, esports players have been training for many years. On this path tens of thousands of players “fall off”, but in the end the strongest reach serious championships, where they show all their skill and energy. Millions of dollars are at stake, as well as prestigious titles, and the fight for them turns out to be as exciting as possible, emotions overwhelm. All this makes the League of Legends championships as pleasant as possible to watch.

How and Where do LoL Tournaments Take Place?

Competitions can be held in two formats: online and offline.

In the first case, all tournament matches are played on the Internet. Team members are at home, or they gather at the training base and play there. There is no need to go anywhere — this is both a plus and a minus. The advantage is that the online tournament can be held under any conditions. This was especially useful during quarantine. Nothing prevented esports players from continuing to compete in tournaments, while sports championships paused and suffered a lot. The downside is that the entertainment is lost. When the players are at home, and not face to face in the arena, the emotions from what is happening are scarcer.

Offline (or LAN) events in the world of esports have been around since the very beginning. Initially, League of Legends tournaments were held on exhibition stands similar to computer clubs. Then the events moved to large sports arenas. They can accommodate tens of thousands of spectators, and fans are happy to watch the League of Legends matches live. The atmosphere at such games is truly mesmerizing, which adds life to the game. But there is also a completely obvious disadvantage — in a pandemic, holding such competitions is not possible. If tournaments are allowed to be held, then only with significant restrictions.

Competitions can also be mixed. For example, qualifications are held online, and the main part is already played at the stadium.

Most of the League of Legends tournament rules are similar. Teams first qualify for the championship. The first stage is group. The best teams go further, where they play in the knockout stage, and then the final follows, in which the fate of the trophy is decided.

League of Legends World Championship: Prize Money and Schedule

It is the main tournament of the game. The World Championship League of Legends takes place once a year, and the hottest battle takes place on it, because the prestigious title is at stake, as well as a very decent prize.

The history of the LoL World Championship began in 2011. The first tournament was very modest. The teams played only 98.5 thousand dollars. The event itself was not completely independent, but took place as part of the DreamHack festival. The next year, the World Championship has grown significantly. The tournament was held in Los Angeles, and already $2 million has been awarded. The largest prize pool for the championship was in 2018. Then the strongest teams on the planet fought for $6.5 million. Other League of Legends competitions do not come close to boasting such prize money.

The format of the League of Legends championship is as follows: teams qualify through results in regional leagues. The Play-in stage is being played. Out of 10 teams, 4 go further. The group stage passes, following which 8 out of 16 teams make their way further. The playoffs are going on with no room for mistakes. At the end, a final takes place, in which the two remaining teams find out who is the best in the world.

Which League of Legends Tournaments are Worth Watching?

Besides the World Championship, there are other LoL esports tournaments that deserve attention.

Mid-Season Invitational

The competition traditionally takes place in the middle of the playing season, namely in May. MSI is important in the context of the World Tournament as the draw is based on the results. But it is also a completely independent tournament with an impressive $1 million prize pool. All teams strive to get on it.

Summer Leagues

These tournaments are also associated with the World Championship. So, having taken a high place in their regional league, the team can go to the World Cup. Therefore, the teams give 200 percent to the game here.

Spring Leagues

They precede the summer competition, and are also an integral part of the season, which flows smoothly into the World Cup. Teams compete for seasonal points that will then help them make their way to the World Cup. Also, the winners of the Spring Leagues go to MSI.