The 2022 World Championship will be held in North America, where and when the event is going to take place in detail will be looked at today. One thing we can spoiler: Toronto is not a host city!
The 2022 LoL Worlds are taking place in North America. That was what we already knew about the upcoming event. It was supposed to happen in 2021, but the pandemic has pushed the event back a year.
So, in which cities will the event take place? Which teams have qualified, and when does the biggest esports event even start? We’ll take a look at the event and everything we know about the next World Championship.
Where Will the LoL Worlds 2022 Be Held?
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship will be held in multiple cities all over North America. Yes, you read that right. Not just the United States of America, but all of North America will get a piece of League of Legends esports next year.
As a Canadian, seeing the name of the largest city on the list of host cities is truly humbling and exciting – hey EarlyGame CEO, buy me my plane ticket already. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and check out which cities will host the 2022 World Championship.
These are the Worlds 2022 host cities and potential arenas the events will take place in:
- Play-ins: Mexico City at the Liga Latinoamerica Arena
- Groups and Quarter-Finals: New York at the Hulu Theater at MSG
- Semi-Finals: Atlanta at State Farm Arena
- Finals: San Francisco at Chase Center
It looks like New York is going to be the main hub of the event, but we can’t be sure of that yet. Riot has merely announced the cities without much substance, so fans will have to be a bit more patient to find out the details on the events within the cities.
Riot Change Host Cities
Originally, the Legue of Legends World Championship semi-finals were going to take place in Toronto, Ontario. Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, the esports team had to make the decision to cut Canada out of the tournament completely, instead choosing Atlanta to host the semi-finals.
The semifinals originally were set to take place at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, but due to COVID-19 impacting the viability of securing multi-entry visas to the U.S. within necessary timelines, Riot made the decision to move the location to provide a clear path for teams to complete in all stages of Worlds.
What is League of Legends Worlds?
For anyone who has been living under a rock – or is just getting into League of Legends thanks to the huge success of Arcane – the League of Legends World Championship is the biggest esports event of the year.
Teams from all around the world earn their spot to compete at the World Championship. The event usually encompasses 24-teams, though in 2020 and 2021, it was only 2021 due to the Vietnamese region not sending their two representatives.
The event is split into three parts, the play-ins, groups and knock-out phase. At the end of it all, the best League of Legends team in the world is crowned the World champion. This year, it was the LPL summer split winner EDward Gaming who beat DAMWON in front of record-breaking viewership.
When Is The 2022 World Championship?
Riot just announced the schedule for the 2022 League of Legends World Championship, with the event kicking off in Mexico City on September 29, 2022 and ending on November 5, 2022 at Chase Center in San Francisco. So, who is ready for some international League of Legends action?
- Play-Ins: September 29-October 4 at the Arena Esports Stadium at Artz Pedregal in Mexico City, Mexico;
- Groups: October 7-10 and October 13-16 at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City;
- Quarterfinals: October 20-23 at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City;
- Semifinals: October 29-30 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia;
- Finals: November 5 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
Ticket Sale Dates Announced
If you're looking to pick up tickets for the 2022 League of Legends World Championship, then you can do so starting September 8, 2022. If you're looking to go to the Finals though you'll have to wait until September 29, to get your ticket for the event.
After six years traveling the globe, #Worlds2022 is returning to North America! https://t.co/rPAyhQ9zrN
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) November 21, 2021
Which Teams Have Qualified for the 2022 World Championship?
Unlike in football, where the hosting county auto-qualifies for the World Cup, League of Legends hasn’t implemented such rules yet. But who knows how desperate Riot might get to have some NA representation in coming years.
What about Edward Gaming, who won the World Championship in 2021? Nope, they’ll have to start from scratch in 2022 as well. They have to face the rest of the LPL and fight their way to the 2022 World Championship once more.
The LCK also secures a 4th team at Worlds 2022. Worlds have 2 flex places. First place goes to the winner of the MSI tournament, this year RNG, and 2nd place is given to the region that has had the best international performance over the past few years. Since T1 was in the MSI finals and the 2nd best region over the last few years, the 2nd flex spot will be awarded to the LCK. Good news for DRX.
While the LEC would usually only have three spots at the World Championship, with the exclusion of the LCL, the European league will be able to send a fourth team to the World Championship Play-In Phase. This means the LEC will have two representatives in the first stage of the tournament.
Teams Qualified for Worlds 2022
- LEC - G2 Esports
Who Are The Favorites For Worlds 2022?
No team has qualified for the tournament thus far, but there are usually regions which are favored by most analysts ahead of time, no matter which teams from the region compete. With both the LPL and the LCK being able to send four teams to the tournament, they've got heightened chances to win the championship.
Though, in recent years the LEC has also had strong showings thanks to G2 Esports and Fnatic. The VCS and PCS have also always been strong contenders, ready to take a game off any favorites to win the tournament.
Where to Watch Worlds 2022?
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship can be viewed on multiple platforms. Most choose to watch through the official lolesports YouTube account or Twitch, but fans can also earn free drops by logging into their Riot Account and watching on the official lolesports website.
Official lolesports links:
The 2022 World Championship Schedule
So far, there is no schedule for the 2022 World Championship. Once we know more – in about 10 months probably – we will update this section to let you guys know which of your favorite teams is playing when!