Highlights
- The League of Legends World Championship will be hosted in China for the third time this fall.
- This highlights China's dominance as a major, growing market for professional gaming.
- The event's return to China aims to engage its largest and most passionate fanbase.
Highlights
The decision to return to China underscores the country's dominance in competitive gaming. Chinese teams have captured the championship three times in recent years, with Edward Gaming claiming the title in 2021, FunPlus Phoenix winning in 2019, and Invictus Gaming taking the crown in 2018. Edward Gaming, based in Shanghai, was the last Chinese team to hoist the Summoner's Cup when they won the 2021 tournament in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The tournament's return also reflects the robust growth of China's esports sector. The industry generated 27.6 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) in revenue in 2024, a 4.6 percent increase from the previous year, according to the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association. The growth reversed a 1.3 percent decline in 2023 and was attributed to increased government support and investments by Chinese gaming companies Tencent and NetEase.
China previously hosted the World Championship in 2017 and 2020. The 2020 tournament in Shanghai generated more than one billion hours of online viewing, according to Riot Games data. The 2021 championship was originally scheduled for China but was moved to Iceland due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.
The competition has grown dramatically since Riot Games launched the first World Championship in 2011. What began as a modest tournament has evolved into one of the world's most-watched esports events, helping to professionalize the entire industry and establish structured regional leagues across the globe.
The Asia-Pacific region accounts for more than half of global esports viewership, with China serving as a primary driver. The League of Legends Pro League, China's domestic competition, is widely regarded as the most competitive league in the world.
The selection of Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu represents a strategic move to engage with one of the world's largest and most passionate gaming audiences. Each city brings distinct advantages, from Beijing's status as the national capital to Shanghai's reputation as an esports hub and Chengdu's emergence as a major metropolitan center.
League of Legends, a multiplayer online battle arena game developed by Riot Games, was first published in 2009. Tencent acquired a majority stake in Riot Games in 2011 and bought the remaining shares in 2015, making it a wholly owned subsidiary.
The tournament will begin with Play-In and Swiss stages in Beijing before moving to Shanghai for the elimination rounds and concluding with the championship match in Chengdu. Previous tournaments from 2022 to 2024 were held in the United States, South Korea and Europe, respectively.
