More news about the 2023 League of Legends World Championship! It's still quite a few months until the event kicks off, but now the locations for the Worlds semifinals and grand finals have been revealed!
Great news for all esports fans! The League of Legends World Championship 2023 might still be a few months off, and we should probably focus on the Mid-Season Invitational first, but this is too great not to share: We already know that the event will be held in South Korea, but in which cities?
The last time the Worlds were held in the country was in 2018, back then there were four cities hosting the event overall. The play-in stage took place in Seoul, whereas the group stage was played in Busan. Semifinals and Finals were held in Gwangju and Incheon respectively.
LoL Worlds 2023: These Are The Host Cities For Semifinals And Finals
The South Korean news portal "News1.kr" published an article on March 23, 2023 regarding the host cities of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship. According to the outlet's sources, Busan is going to host the semifinals and the Worlds finals are set to take place in Seoul, the nation's capital.
This has subsequently been confirmed by the official Lol Esports Twitter account. Busan will stage the knockout stage, while the Play-Ins, the so-called Swiss Stage and the Finals will be played out in Seoul.
#Worlds2023 is returning to South Korea!Play-In Stage - Seoul - LoL ParkSwiss Stage - Seoul - KBS ArenaKnockouts - Busan - Sajik Indoor GymnasiumFinals - Seoul - Gocheok Sky Dome pic.twitter.com/V1CEx37QOE
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) April 23, 2023
Definitely a great choice for an amazing event! Seoul and Busan are the two biggest cities, and it seems like there are already considerations regarding suitable venues. When it comes to Busan, as you might remember, the city hosted last year's edition of the Mid-Season Invitational.
The 2022 MSI Group Stage was held in Busan's dedicated Esports Arena, but it seems like it is considered too small to host the Worlds semifinals, which is why the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, BEXCO for short, is the most likely venue.
For Seoul there is a venue in consideration as well. The Gocheok Sky Dome usually serves as a baseball stadium with a capacity to seat over 16,000 people, but for concerts and other comparable events it can hold up to 25,000.
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Whatever venues it might come down to, it is needless to say that we are really hyped to see Worlds return to South Korea this year. It's not only the most successful region in LoL esports, but also one with a dedicated and welcoming fan base. We're in for a fantastic event!
Just imagine the crowd going crazy with a finals' performance like in 2022!