# League of Legends World Championship
The **League of Legends World Championship** (commonly **Worlds**) is the annual international esports tournament for the video game [League of Legends](https://www.edgepedia.org/league-of-legends), organized by the game's developer [Riot Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/riot-games) to determine the best team in the world. Created in 2011, it takes place every year between September and November and brings together the best teams from each regional league.[1](https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/World_Championships) The winner receives the Summoner's Cup, and the event is the final tournament of the League of Legends competitive season.[2](https://lolesports.com/en-GB/season/113470241010388072/handbook/113470241010912366)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First edition | 2011, at the DreamHack festival in Jönköping, Sweden[3](https://www.riotgames.com/darkroom/original/7e0d059326dd396aa8613bb29e13cdbd%3A594648e0d75079bdffa12e1299809a95/leauge-esports-fact-sheet.pdf) |
| Organizer | Riot Games, which also develops and publishes League of Legends[1](https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/World_Championships) |
| Timing | Annually between September and November[1](https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/World_Championships) |
| 2025 edition | 17 teams; Play-In October 14, Swiss Stage October 15–25, Knockout Stage October 28–November 9, Final November 9, all in China[4](https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/World_Championship/2025) • [5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp554z2LseU) |
| Reigning champion | T1, which won a third consecutive title at Worlds 2025[6](https://www.esports.net/wiki/tournaments/lol-worlds-2025-viewership/) |
| Most successful region | South Korea, with eight World Championship titles[7](https://www.oneesports.gg/league-of-legends/list-all-lol-worlds-winners/) |
| Viewership record | 2024 final peak audience of 50 million viewers (6.7 million excluding China)[8](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/01634437251410048?download=true) |
| Next edition | Worlds 2026 in the United States, October 15 to November 14, with 19 teams[9](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/cuando-es-worlds-2026-de-league-of-legends-fechas-del-play-in-main-event-equipos-clasificados-y-gran-final-f202610-n/) |
## History and hosting
Riot Games held the first World Championship in June 2011 at [DreamHack](https://www.edgepedia.org/dreamhack) in [Jönköping](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonkoping), Sweden.[3](https://www.riotgames.com/darkroom/original/7e0d059326dd396aa8613bb29e13cdbd%3A594648e0d75079bdffa12e1299809a95/leauge-esports-fact-sheet.pdf) The event has since been hosted by Europe, North America, China, and South Korea, and has filled some of the most recognizable venues in sports and entertainment, including [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden) and the Staples Center in Los Angeles (both 2016), the Bird's Nest in Beijing (2017), and the Shanghai Pudong Football Stadium (2020).[3](https://www.riotgames.com/darkroom/original/7e0d059326dd396aa8613bb29e13cdbd%3A594648e0d75079bdffa12e1299809a95/leauge-esports-fact-sheet.pdf)
The championship trophy is the Summoner's Cup, introduced in 2012 for the Season Two World Championship through a partnership between Riot Games and the silversmith Thomas Lyte.[10](https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/Worlds) For the 2025 season the cup was rebranded under a new partnership between Riot Games and Volpin Props.[4](https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/World_Championship/2025)
## Qualification and format
Teams qualify through the Tier 1 regional leagues, including the LCK in South Korea, the LPL in China, the LEC in Europe, the LCS in North America, and other leagues such as the LCP and CBLOL; the top teams from the season come together for the final tournament of the year.[2](https://lolesports.com/en-GB/season/113470241010388072/handbook/113470241010912366) Riot has stated that the World Championship is not primarily designed to be profitable but functions as a cornerstone of the company's global brand strategy.[11](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1636823/full)
**The modern three-stage format.** Since the 2023 season redesign, Worlds has run in three phases. A Play-In stage, a single-elimination best-of-five, qualifies a small number of teams into the main event; in 2025 it was one best-of-five series between the fourth seed of Korea (T1) and the fourth seed of China ([Invictus Gaming](https://www.edgepedia.org/invictus-gaming)), with the winner advancing.[2](https://lolesports.com/en-GB/season/113470241010388072/handbook/113470241010912366) • [12](https://los40.com/2025/10/13/todo-lo-que-debes-saber-sobre-los-worlds-de-league-of-legends-2025-horarios-cuadros-resultados-y-donde-ver-gratis-el-mundial-de-lol/) The Swiss Stage then brings 16 teams together for a five-round Swiss format, in which teams with the same win-loss record play each other until they reach three wins (advancing) or three losses (eliminated).[2](https://lolesports.com/en-GB/season/113470241010388072/handbook/113470241010912366) • [13](https://lolesports.com/en-US/news/deep-dive-lol-esports-international-event-formats) The eight survivors meet in the Knockout Stage, a best-of-five single-elimination bracket of quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final.[2](https://lolesports.com/en-GB/season/113470241010388072/handbook/113470241010912366) • [13](https://lolesports.com/en-US/news/deep-dive-lol-esports-international-event-formats)
Riot introduced the Swiss format to replace the former group stage, citing three problems: with more than 20 teams each year there were relatively few best-of matches, many late round-robin games had no competitive implications, and the group draw produced narratives about a "group of death" rather than about the teams. The Swiss Stage was designed so that every game affects the outcome; across the stage it features 33 matches, 20 best-of-ones and 13 best-of-threes, with all matches that advance or eliminate a team played as best-of-three.[13](https://lolesports.com/en-US/news/deep-dive-lol-esports-international-event-formats) In 2025 the first two games a team played were best-of-one, with subsequent matchups in best-of-three.[14](https://earlygame.com/news/gaming/what-is-a-swiss-stage-worlds-2025-format-explained)
## Viewership and prize money
Worlds is among the largest gaming and sporting events in the world. The 2019 finals reached a record 21.8 million Average Minute Audience and 44 million peak concurrent viewers.[3](https://www.riotgames.com/darkroom/original/7e0d059326dd396aa8613bb29e13cdbd%3A594648e0d75079bdffa12e1299809a95/leauge-esports-fact-sheet.pdf) The 2024 final reached a peak audience of 50 million viewers, 6.7 million of them outside China.[8](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/01634437251410048?download=true) Prize pools have grown substantially: the 2011 event was followed by a $2 million pool, a twentyfold jump from 2011, in the year the Summoner's Cup was first lifted.[15](https://rft.gg/news/league-of-legends-worlds-winner)
## Regional dominance
South Korean teams have dominated the championship, winning eight of its editions through T1, Samsung White, Samsung Galaxy, and DAMWON Gaming.[7](https://www.oneesports.gg/league-of-legends/list-all-lol-worlds-winners/) Chinese teams achieved success in later years: in 2018, Invictus Gaming became the first LPL squad ever to claim the Worlds title, and FunPlus Phoenix in 2019 and [Edward Gaming](https://www.edgepedia.org/edward-gaming) in 2021 did so after them.[7](https://www.oneesports.gg/league-of-legends/list-all-lol-worlds-winners/) The most decorated figure is Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok of T1, who has won the title six times, and whose team secured a third consecutive championship at Worlds 2025.[16](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2024/06/02/pourquoi-la-coree-du-sud-reste-le-centre-nevralgique-de-l-e-sport-mondial_6236926_4408996.html) • [6](https://www.esports.net/wiki/tournaments/lol-worlds-2025-viewership/) • [18](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/lee-faker-sang-hyeoks-legend-continues-as-t1-wins-lol-world-championship/12021434)
## Worlds 2025 and 2026
Worlds 2025 returned to China for the first time in five years, with games played in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu: the Swiss Stage at the Beijing Smart Esports Center, the quarterfinals and semifinals at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, and the final on November 9 at the Dong'an Lake Gymnasium in Chengdu.[6](https://www.esports.net/wiki/tournaments/lol-worlds-2025-viewership/) • [12](https://los40.com/2025/10/13/todo-lo-que-debes-saber-sobre-los-worlds-de-league-of-legends-2025-horarios-cuadros-resultados-y-donde-ver-gratis-el-mundial-de-lol/) T1 won the event, defeating KT Rolster 3–2 in the final to claim a historic third consecutive title.[6](https://www.esports.net/wiki/tournaments/lol-worlds-2025-viewership/) • [9](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/cuando-es-worlds-2026-de-league-of-legends-fechas-del-play-in-main-event-equipos-clasificados-y-gran-final-f202610-n/)
Worlds 2026 returns to North America from October 15 to November 14 with 19 teams. The Play-In runs October 15–18 at the [Riot Games Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/riot-games-arena) in Los Angeles, the Swiss Stage, quarterfinals, and semifinals move to [Allen, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/allen-texas), and the final is scheduled for the [Barclays Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/barclays-center) in Brooklyn, New York.[9](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/cuando-es-worlds-2026-de-league-of-legends-fechas-del-play-in-main-event-equipos-clasificados-y-gran-final-f202610-n/) The 2026 format largely mirrors 2025, with updates limited to the Play-In format and regional seeding, including an additional slot for CBLOL.[17](https://lolesports.com/en-US/lolesports/news/msi-and-worlds-updates)
## References
1. [World Championships – Liquipedia League of Legends Wiki](https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/World_Championships)
2. [LoL Esports League Handbook, Worlds overview](https://lolesports.com/en-GB/season/113470241010388072/handbook/113470241010912366)
3. [League of Legends Esports Fact Sheet, Riot Games](https://www.riotgames.com/darkroom/original/7e0d059326dd396aa8613bb29e13cdbd%3A594648e0d75079bdffa12e1299809a95/leauge-esports-fact-sheet.pdf)
4. [2025 World Championship – Liquipedia League of Legends Wiki](https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/World_Championship/2025)
5. [Worlds 2025 Format Explainer, LoL Esports (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp554z2LseU)
6. [League of Legends Worlds 2025 Viewership Analysis, Esports.net](https://www.esports.net/wiki/tournaments/lol-worlds-2025-viewership/)
7. [List of League of Legends Worlds winners over the years, ONE Esports](https://www.oneesports.gg/league-of-legends/list-all-lol-worlds-winners/)
8. [Esports is a riot games: a critical political economic analysis, Media, Culture & Society](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/01634437251410048?download=true)
9. [Cuándo es Worlds 2026 de League of Legends, AS/Meristation](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/cuando-es-worlds-2026-de-league-of-legends-fechas-del-play-in-main-event-equipos-clasificados-y-gran-final-f202610-n/)
10. [World Championships – Liquipedia (Summoner's Cup history)](https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/Worlds)
11. [The legal and economic aspects of the "Esports Illusion", Frontiers in Sports and Active Living](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1636823/full)
12. [Los Worlds de League of Legends 2025: horarios, cuadros y dónde ver, LOS40](https://los40.com/2025/10/13/todo-lo-que-debes-saber-sobre-los-worlds-de-league-of-legends-2025-horarios-cuadros-resultados-y-donde-ver-gratis-el-mundial-de-lol/)
13. [Deep Dive: LoL Esports International Event Formats, LoL Esports](https://lolesports.com/en-US/news/deep-dive-lol-esports-international-event-formats)
14. [What Is A Swiss Stage? Worlds 2025 Format Explained, EarlyGame](https://earlygame.com/news/gaming/what-is-a-swiss-stage-worlds-2025-format-explained)
15. [Every League of Legends Worlds Winner: A Year-by-Year History, RFT](https://rft.gg/news/league-of-legends-worlds-winner)
16. [Pourquoi la Corée du Sud reste le centre névralgique de l'e-sport mondial, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2024/06/02/pourquoi-la-coree-du-sud-reste-le-centre-nevralgique-de-l-e-sport-mondial_6236926_4408996.html)
17. [MSI and Worlds Updates, LoL Esports](https://lolesports.com/en-US/lolesports/news/msi-and-worlds-updates)
18. [Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok's legend continues as T1 wins LoL World Championship](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/lee-faker-sang-hyeoks-legend-continues-as-t1-wins-lol-world-championship/12021434)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Esports and competitive gaming › Competitions, leagues, and governance › Game-specific esports scenes and circuits*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license