Riot Games Confirms League Of Legends Championships Will Be In Europe

Riot Games has confirmed that the League of Legends World Championships will be held in Europe, after the global pandemic has restricted travel into and throughout China, meaning that the proposed plan for a tour through five Chinese cities has been deemed impossible.

Riot has confirmed the previous reports that Worlds 2021 will be moving to Europe, although they have yet to announce which cities will be hosting the most prestigious event in esports.

Taking to Twitter, Riot Games' Global Head of Esports, John Needam, revealed that the restrictions proved too difficult to manoeuvre around, such as they did in 2021, with Europe looking to be the best and most lenient option to host the event.

Needham said "With the Delta variant, travel restrictions and COVID protocols have been even MORE complicated to navigate in 2021 than they were in 2020. Sadly, we reached the point where it is extremely difficult to guarantee that qualifying teams and their best players would be able to attend Worlds this year. 

"As a result, we’ve made the tough decision to pivot Worlds from China to Europe."

As to the exact location within Europe, this is yet to be known. The LEC will be holding their playoffs in their own dedicated studios in Berlin, which is appearing to be a likely venue for the World Championships. However, the studios only have a capacity of 174, which limits people who have already purchased tickets.

Needham continued to say "We’re not ready to announce where in Europe Worlds will be held this year but accessibility for the highest number of teams and their best players will be the key deciding factor.

"We sincerely thank the five chosen Chinese cities and partners who supported us in looking at many options and ways we could execute against our vision for Worlds 2021."

Maximilian Peter Schmidt, Head of Esports for League of Legends in Europe & MENA, sent out a tweet that has riled fans in the UK. With the announcement going live, Schmidt said "It's Coming Home!", a phrase often used by the English to support their national football team.

Riot has yet to reveal when they plan to update fans about the exact whereabouts that Worlds will be held, with the developers now facing the uphill task of finding a venue that has not been booked out yet. As to whether fans will be allowed in the unannounced venue is yet to be seen.