Worlds 2020: Worlds Set to Be Held in China Plus Plans for the Future

Riot announced yesterday that Worlds 2020 will be held in China and gave some information on what will be happening at Worlds 2021 and 2022!

In the world of COVID-19, professional sports have been put on hold as governments around the globe have struggled to keep this pandemic under control. The world of professional League of Legends has been no exception, with leagues moving to fully-online play since the middle of the spring. The big concern, however, has always been what will happen to Worlds 2020. We got our answer yesterday.

Riot announced that the 2020 League of Legends World Championship will be held in person in China as was originally planned at the start of the split. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though, Riot has made certain adjustments to their previously-planned schedule for Worlds 2020.

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First, Riot announced that Worlds 2020 will not follow the usual route across the region as it normally does. For instance, Worlds 2019, held in Europe, took place in three different cities – Berlin, Madrid, and Paris.

Worlds 2020 was initially envisioned to take a similar tour across major cities in China to allow fans across the nation the chance to see their favorite League of Legends teams compete in person. Now, though, due to COVID-19, the entire tournament will be confined to one city: Shanghai, China.

It’s likely that Riot is following the “bubble” model for Worlds 2020 that major sports leagues in America have adopted. Both the NBA and NHL have decided to play their playoffs in a fixed location (the NHL is using two cities, one for each conference) in order to minimize travel and possible exposure to COVID-19 for the players and team staff. So far, both models have proven successful, with the NBA and NHL both reporting no new cases since entering their playoff bubbles.

To make it up to the Chinese fans outside of China who won’t be able to see their favorite teams play, Riot also announced that Worlds 2021 will return to China to do their regular tour across the country. While fans might be upset that China is going to get Worlds in back to back years, according to ESPN’s Tyler Erzberger, this was likely because of existing plans for venues in China and money that has already been invested in those venues.

For North American League of Legends fans, they won’t be left out in the cold. While Worlds 2021 was scheduled to be held in North America, they will now be hosting Worlds 2022. This gives NA more time to prepare and deal with its own COVID-19 outbreak.

Worlds 2020 will be held in Shanghai, China, beginning September 25! Be sure to stay tuned for all your coverage of the League of Legends World Championship!