Worlds
Overview
Worlds is the common name for the League of Legends World Championship hosted by Riot Games. It is also often called the "LoL Cup" (Rold Cup), and every autumn for about a month, the top teams from regional leagues around the world gather to determine the single strongest team. As a single-title esports tournament, it boasts the world's largest prize pool and viewership, and the finals are held in large stadiums, establishing it as a representative symbol of esports.
Key Details
Name and Status
The official name is the "League of Legends World Championship," and in Korea it is commonly shortened to "Worlds" or "LoL Cup." The winning team is awarded the "Summoner's Cup." Since the mid-2010s, the finals have been held in large stadiums on the scale of soccer stadiums, and the opening ceremony features performances by world-renowned artists, giving the event the character of a festival combining sports and popular culture.
History
Starting with the Season 1 tournament held in Jönköping, Sweden, in 2011, it has been held annually, and in the early days European and North American teams dominated. Afterwards, the Korean (LCK) and Chinese (LPL) leagues grew rapidly and emerged as the two major axes of the world championship. SK Telecom T1 (now T1) established a dynasty with victories in 2013, 2015, and 2016, followed by Samsung Galaxy (2014, 2017), Invictus Gaming (2018), FunPlus Phoenix (2019), DAMWON Gaming (2020), EDG (2021), and DRX (2022). In 2023 and 2024, T1 won consecutive titles, setting a new record for the most championships in the league.
Tournament Structure
Teams selected from each regional league (LCK, LPL, LEC, LCS, etc.) participate. Recent tournaments are largely composed of the Play-In Stage, Swiss Stage, Knockout Stage, and Finals. Starting in 2023, the "Swiss Stage" format was introduced to replace the existing group stage, determining the eight quarterfinalists through random matchups and accumulated wins and losses. The Knockout Stage and Finals are played as best-of-five (Bo5) single-elimination matches, maximizing the battle of strategy and mentality.
Symbols and Culture
A tournament theme song is released every year and draws great attention. Representative examples include "Warriors" (2014), "Legends Never Die" (2017), "Gods" (2023), and "Heavy Is the Crown" (2024), and the opening ceremony live stage and finals opening ceremony are regarded as symbolic productions unique to Worlds. Fan participation elements such as "Pick'em," skin releases, and commemorative skins for the winning team also drive the tournament's cultural expansion.
Latest Trends
Following T1's return to the top in 2023 after five years, in 2024 they defeated China's LPL team BLG in the finals to achieve back-to-back titles and set a record of five total championships. The 2025 tournament was held in China, where fierce competition between the Korean and Chinese leagues continued once again, and T1 achieved a three-peat, rewriting history. Meanwhile, the gap between regions in League of Legends esports, the sustainability of international tournament popularity, and linkage with new league systems (e.g., the introduction of LTA) are emerging as major topics, while viewership metrics and sponsorship scale remain at the top of the esports industry.
Related Topics
- [[League of Legends]]
- [[T1]]
- [[LCK]]
- [[Faker]]
- [[Esports]]