League of Legends players and esports viewers looking forward to the start of this year’s major tournaments can now start making travel and viewing arrangements with the dates and locations of four different competitions now revealed.
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The various tournaments throughout the year will take place in some new locations while also returning to South Korea for the biggest tournament, the World Championship.
“This year, history is on the line as we take our global events to some of our most established competitive regions,” the announcement read. “Following our record-breaking 2017 World Championship in China, we’re proud to be hosting the Mid-Season Invitational for the first time in Germany and France, before bringing the 2018 World Championship back to the home turf of five of the past seven World Championship winners: Korea. In between MSI and Worlds, regions will battle it out at Rift Rivals events taking place all over the globe, and we will cap off the year with the All-Star Event.”
Mid-Season Invitational
Starting with MSI 2018, the Mid-Season Invitational competition that viewers will see first this year, Riot Games revealed that the games would be taking place in Berlin, Germany, and Paris, France.
“The 2018 Mid-Season Invitational, our first global event of the year, is heading to Europe! While EU was the host region for the 2014 All-Star, the 2015 World Championship, and the 2016 All-Star Event, this will be the first time EU hosts MSI. We will be holding both Play-Ins and Groups at the revamped EU LCS studio, before heading to Zenith Paris – La Villette for Knockouts.”
Play-in & Group Stage
- May 3-6 / 8-9 / 11-15
- EU LCS Studio – Berlin, Germany
Knockout Stage
- May 18-20
- Zenith Paris La Villete – Paris, France
Tickets for MSI 2018 will go on sale within the next few weeks.
Rift Rivals
Next up is the newest addition to the tournament lineup, Rift Rivals, a series of tournaments that pits rival regions against one another and allows viewers from all over the world to root for their favorite teams.
Last year was the first Rift Rivals competition with matches pitting China against Korea and North America against Europe, and this year will be no different. However, the host locations for each tournament will change along with some adjustments for how Vietnam will play.
“Moving forward, Vietnam will have independent representation at international events. Vietnam (VCS) will be grouped with Turkey (TCL) and CIS (LCL) for Rift Rivals, and Southeast Asia (GPL) will remain grouped with Oceania (OPL) and Japan (LJL). This will allow us to keep clusters to no more than 3 regions and maintain competitive parity within clusters.”
The events will take place from July 2-8 with the following regions competing against
- North America vs. Europe – Hosted in USA
- China vs. Korea vs. LMS – Hosted in China
- Brazil vs. Latam North vs. Latam South – Hosted in Brazil
- Oceania vs. Southeast Asia vs. Japan – Hosted in Australia
- Vietnam vs. Russia vs. Turkey – Hosted in Vietnam
World Championship
The largest tournament of them all, the World Championship for 2018 will take place in none other than South Korea, home of some of the most dominant League of Legends teams that exist in the professional scene.
“As the reigning champions of the competitive League of Legends landscape, and pioneers in the world of esports, Korea will be the host region of the entirety of the 2018 World Championship. This year, 24 teams will compete for the Summoner’s Cup across multiple cities and venues throughout Korea.”
The exact locations that the stages of the competition will take place weren’t revealed just yet, but the various locations should give all viewers in South Korea a chance to see the games in person. More information regarding the cities and venues that will host the games is said to be coming in the next few weeks.
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Finally, League of Legends pros will close out the year with the All-Star Event, a series of competitions that unite the best players from each region in a competitive environment.
As of 2017’s competitions, the tournaments were indeed more competitive. Riot Games shifted away from the more light-hearted All-Star events that took place in previous years to preserve the competitive element that the pros are known for while still providing an enjoyable experience for viewers.
“From 2016’s light-hearted Barcelona blowout, to 2017’s competitive showing in Los Angeles, we’re always looking to improve and iterate on what an end-of-year All-Star Event really means for fans and pro players. This year, the All-Star Event will be returning to North America, and we’ll have more details as to format and focus down the road.”
Details on what kinds of game modes this year’s All-Star competition will consist of remain to be seen, but the location and the dates were revealed below:
- Dates & Location
- Dec. 3-9
- North America
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Image courtesy of Peacock
