On Saturday, during an owner’s press conference before the third-place match of the League Championship Series Championship, LCS Commissioner Chris Greeley confirmed that the 2022 League of Legends World Championship will take place in North America.
In a League of Legends international tournament roadmap published in 2018, Riot Games first announced Worlds locations for 2019, 2020 and 2021, with the event taking place in Europe, China and North America, respectively. Their original plan was for China to host Worlds 2020 to commemorate League esports’ 10th season. However, due to the ongoing global pandemic, Worlds 2021 was held in a closed bubble in Shanghai, with no live audience or venues until the finals, which admitted a limited audience in the brand new SAIC Motor Pudong Arena.
Due to the canceled Worlds 2020 plans, Riot pushed back the NA Worlds tour to 2022 and planned for a multi-city event across China in 2021. However, Riot recently changed Worlds 2021 to take place in Europe, once again postponing the original goal of hosting a large celebration of League’s success via Worlds in China. News of the change sparked curiosity among the scene about whether Riot Games would once again push back Worlds in NA and host Worlds 2022 in China.
Not only did Greeley confirm that the 2022 League of Legends World Championship would indeed take place in NA, in an interview with content creator Travis Gafford, Greeley announced it would span across four cities. There was no mention of which cities and if it would take place entirely in the U.S. or if either Canada or Mexico would be included. Greeley also spoke about plans for 2022 LCS playoffs, confirming NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas for the 2022 Mid-Season Showdown.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is always a chance that these plans could change, even last minute. But for now, fans can expect a traveling show across NA in 2022.
Check out all teams that have qualified for Worlds in our conclusive article here, and check out where Riot may be hosting Worlds in Europe this year here.
Published: Aug 28, 2021 07:14 pm