Product information

LoL Esports

ABOUT LOL ESPORTS

League of Legends Esports is the fastest growing global sport and the pinnacle of competitive gaming with more than 100 professional esport teams and over 860 players. Accessible around the globe on 30+ TV and digital platforms, it is one of the most-watched forms of sports entertainment globally. League of Legends Esports started in 2009 and remains owned and operated by Riot Games.

Led by Naz Aletaha, Global Head of LoL Esports, our mission is to build a thriving global sports ecosystem by focusing on growth, engagement, profitability, integrity, and accessibility.

LoL Esports is the brand of our global sport. From the thrilling regional league competitions that captivate millions of fans across the globe to the trophy lift at Worlds. It all lives within LoL Esports.

GLOBAL COMPETITIONS

Riot Games holds two annual League of Legends Esports international competitions: the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), and the World Championship (Worlds). Contested by professional players and teams from the 9 regional leagues around the world, these international tournaments are considered the pinnacle of League of Legends Esports.

PARTNERSHIPS

Pioneering industry-leading partnerships with some of the most respected and recognizable companies in the world:
 
  • AWS
  • Cisco
  • Mercedes Benz
  • Mastercard
  • Oppo/OnePlus
  • Prime Gaming
  • Red Bull
  • Secretlab
  • Tiffany
  • Verizon

FACTS & FIGURES

TOP RECORDS

Total Global Championships by Regional League
  • 8 titles - LCK (Worlds 2013-2017, 2020; MSI 2016, 2017)
  • 7 titles - LPL (Worlds 2018, 2019, 2021; MSI 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022)
Total Global Championships by Team
  • 5 titles - SK Telecom T1 (Worlds 2016, 2015, 2013; MSI 2016, 2017)
Total World Championship Titles by Player
  • 3 titles - Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok (2016, 2015, 2013)
  • 3 titles - Bae ‘Bengi’ Seong-woong (2016, 2015, 2013)
Most Worlds Appearances
  • 8 - Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen (2015-2022)
  • 8 - Yiliang Peter “Doublelift” Peng (2011-2012, 2015-2020)
Most Worlds Games
  • 97 - Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok (across 6 appearances) 
Most Regional League Championships Wins
  • 13 Titles - Rainbow7, LLA
Most Regional League Championship Finals
  • Rainbow7 - 17 appearances
  • TSM - 12 appearances
  • Fnatic - 12 appearances
  • T1 - 12 appearances
Undefeated Regional Teams in a Single Split
  • T1, LCK, 2022 Spring
  • Fnatic, LEC, 2015 Summer

AWARDS

LoL Esports has been internationally recognized for its achievements in sports and esports, including four Sports Emmy Awards.
 
  • 2022 The Game Awards Best Esports Event Winner
  • 2022 Cynopsis Sports Media Winner
  • 2021 Cynopsis Sports Media Winner
  • 2021 Sports Emmy Winner
  • 2020 Sports Emmy Winner
  • 2019 Clio Sports Silver Winner
  • 2019 NYC Brand Film Festival Winner
  • 2019 Sports Business Journal Game Changer
  • 2019 Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40
  • 2019 IBC Innovation Award Nominee
  • 2018 Tempest Awards Winner
  • 2018 The Game Shakers Winner
  • 2018 The Game Awards Winner
Riot Games oversees all professional international competition for LoL Esports. Connected through 9 regional leagues from around the globe, more than 40 countries are represented in the highest level of LoL Esports competition. All regional leagues adhere to a similar regular season format, with each annual season divided into a first and second split. Splits consist of 8-9 weeks of regular play, followed by a playoff. Splits conclude with a play off tournament between the top teams. Teams earn prize money and their placement in playoffs can qualify them for the World Championship.
  1. China - LPL

    The League of Legends Pro League (LPL) is the premier professional league for LoL Esports in China, consisting of 17 teams, including three World Champions, Invictus Gaming, Funplus Phoenix and Edward Gaming. In 2017, the LPL launched the first-ever home-and-away geo-located model for esports.

  2. North America - LCS

    The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) houses 10 long-term partnership teams and is the preeminent esports league in North America. The LCS is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, USA. The LCS organization also runs both the NA Academy League, a development league with partnered LCS organizations, and the LCS Scouting Grounds, an annual event where top amateur talent is scouted by pro teams for recruitment.

  3. Korea - LCK

    Since 2012, the LCK has established itself as one of the top League of Legends (LoL) professional esports regions across the world. The LCK has recorded unprecedented achievements, winning a total of six LoL World Championships. About 4 million people tune in every day, and more than half of them are overseas viewers, labeling the LCK as premium global content.

  4. EMEA - LEC

    The League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) represents the highest level of LoL Esports in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region. The LEC features ten teams that compete against each other across three competitive Splits: Winter, Spring and Summer, with the season culminating in the LEC Season Finals. Winners of each Split are awarded a unique Shield, while the winner of the Season Finals is presented with the LEC Crown Trophy. 

    Supported by an additional tier of professional play, the EMEA Regional Leagues (ERLs) provide developing players with a pathway to the LEC and allow talent to prove their skills on a national level. It also offers players the opportunity to qualify for  EMEA Masters (EM), which brings together the best teams from the ERLs twice a year.

    The LEC currently holds two international titles with Fnatic being the first ever to win Worlds in 2011 and G2 Esports winning MSI in 2019.

  5. Brazil - CBLOL

    The Brazilian League of Legends Championship took its first steps in 2012, in a three-day tournament held shortly after the introduction of the Brazilian server. The first league championship took place in 2014, establishing two annual seasons, or splits, with play-offs and a grand Brazilian final. Today, CBLOL is considered the pioneer Esports league and audience leader in Brazil, reaching hundreds of thousands of people live on their Internet and TV broadcasts. The tournament rounds take place every Saturday and Sunday at the Riot Games studio in São Paulo, for a live audience of 160 fans and with live transmission on YouTube, Twitch, and the cable channel SporTV. As of 2021, the championship has adopted the franchise model, with the participation of 10 of the biggest esports organizations in Brazil, which also play in the CBLOL Academy, the developmental league that holds the future talent of Brazilian competitive League of Legends.

  6. Japan - LJL

    The League of Legends Japan League (LJL) is the largest esport league in Japan, organized in partnership with PlayBrain and Riot Games. Eight teams compete in the LJL.

  7. Latin America - LLA

    Liga Latinoamérica (LLA) or the Latin America League is an esport celebration for the LATAM LoL community where 8 teams, with players from south to north Latin America, face each other to earn the glory and title of best LoL team in the region. Mexico City is the home of the LLA, where the pros shine and new legends rise. Its goal is to create a league that motivates fans to play LoL.

  8. APAC - PCS

    The Pacific Championship Series (PCS) is the professional league for LoL Esports in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam), and Oceania regions. The PCS features 10 teams.

  9. Vietnam - VCS

    The Vietnam Championship Series is the professional league for LoL Esports in Vietnam. The VCS features 8 teams.

STANDINGS

To see the current season standings of all the regional leagues, visit Watch.LoLEsports.com/Standings.
The League of Legends World Championship, also known as Worlds, is the pinnacle of LoL Esports competition in which the top teams from diverse regions compete for the world champion title. Held at the end of the regular season in a different host region each year, qualified teams from 9 professional leagues participate in the month-long tournament. Worlds is the most widely viewed and followed esport tournament, and it’s among the largest and most popular gaming and sporting events in the world.

Worlds 2022

September 29, 2022 to November 5
For the first time since 2016, Worlds will be hosted in North America!

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The Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is the first international competition of the annual LoL Esports calendar. MSI is an opportunity for everyone to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of teams and regions at the midway point of the season. Representatives from each of the nine regions will battle it out in this modern battleground. MSI is a time for regions to showcase their bold and unique identities and foreshadows the work needed for pros looking to claim a World Championship title.

MSI 2023

The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational is coming to London! From May 2-21, 13 qualified teams from around the world will take to the global stage for the first time this year at Copper Box Arena, a key venue for esports located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

DEFY

Defy expectations. Defy haters. Defy doubts. MSI is all about showcasing regional strength midway through the season. It’s the first step toward greatness, pushing beyond limits and showing up with a spirit of defiance.

This year, MSI will feature two double-elimination stages; the Play-In Stage and the Bracket Stage, giving regions more opportunity to defy all odds.

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