We’re excited to celebrate the 2020 World Championship this September in China! See this video message from Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent and Global Head of Esports John Needham about our current plans:
**The 2020 World Championship will be held exclusively in Shanghai**
To ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in bringing Worlds 2020 to life, all stages will be held in Shanghai. The top teams from the regional leagues around the world will compete in the premier LoL Esports competition, which will begin on Sept. 25 and conclude on Oct. 31.
Hosting the event in a single city will reduce travel throughout the tournament and give us the ability to more closely control the show environment. We continue to use the guidance from various health organizations and local and national authorities to prioritize safety for our players, fans, and everyone involved with bringing Worlds 2020 to life.
**The Finals will be held at the brand new Pudong Soccer Stadium**
We’re excited to announce that the World Championship Finals will be the inaugural event at the brand new Pudong Soccer Stadium. In addition to being the new home of the Shanghai SIPG F.C., the best-in-class arena was designed to become a key venue for fitness, leisure, and entertainment. It also will host the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
If local guidelines for events allow us to proceed with an audience, information about tickets and safety protocols for those wanting to attend will be shared later this summer.
**Virtual Fan Experience for Worlds 2020**
The earlier stages of the tournament will focus on the digital viewer experiences and will not be played in front of a live audience. While we want to keep our plans for the show a surprise, rest assured that we’re committed to bringing our unique visceral live sporting experience throughout the event to you digitally -- in true League of Legends Esports style. From the Elder Dragon in 2017 to last year’s Holonet technology with True Damage, we’ve always tried to innovate on the viewer experience and we are incredibly excited for this year’s show.
**Worlds will return to China in 2021 with North America slated to host in 2022**
We will return to China in 2021 for the full multi-city World Championship tour, bringing the live sporting experience to fans across the country as originally intended. North America will host the World Championship in 2022.
We cannot wait for this year’s Worlds! Be sure to follow us on @LoLEsports to stay up-to-date with the latest news.
