One of the biggest sporting events in the world takes place this week, only it’s a little different from the regular sports that you may be used to. The League of Legends Worlds Championship (LoL Worlds) is dedicated to a video game, and the athletes have to play via their computers.

LoL Worlds 2022 is no small-scale affair. It is one of the largest esports tournaments that regularly attracts millions of viewers, with the winning team earning millions of dollars. Last year’s champions Edward Gaming beat the Korean team Gen.G in the grand final in Iceland, lifting the coveted Summoner’s Cup and a share of the phenomenal $2.18 million prize pool.

Viewership numbers for last year’s event hit a staggering 4.01 million concurrent views, with the figure excluding Chinese viewers. Youtube, Twitch and even traditional television sports channels all broadcast this event live.

Plenty people watch esports such as League of Legends like they would any regular sport. This means following their favourite teams, cheering on their favourite players, while many betting sites now feature LoL Worlds betting odds alongside regular sports such as football, tennis and basketball. 

All of this made possible due to the fact that League of Legends is a fantastic team sport, and Worlds is the pinnacle of competition in it. Each team features a group of players that each have their own skills and roles, and while the action may look a little different from standard sports, it has proven to be no less captivating.

What to expect from LoL Worlds 2022?

Worlds ‘22 is set to be the biggest and best one to date. Each year the tournament takes place on a different continent and location. This year, LoL Worlds is heading to North America where four host cities will host different stages of the event.

The action will kick off in Mexico City on September 29 before moving onto New York City and Atlanta, and finally reaching San Francisco for the grand final on November 5.

The competitive format is similar to tournaments like the Football World Cup. This means teams get seeded in various groups where they have to play each other in the hope of qualifying to the Knock-out rounds that feature standard quarter-final, semi-final and grand final elimination matches.

All eyes will be on whether Edward Gaming can repeat their surprise victory of 2021, but expectations are that it will again be either a Korean or Chinese team who will lift the Summoner’s Cup. This is because no team from outside of those regions has won LoL Worlds since the event’s inaugural year in 2011.

Since then, it has been a constant procession of Chinese and Korean excellence, and this year’s favourites include hotly-tipped teams such as T1, JD Gaming and Gen. G. The European representatives of this year’s LoL Worlds include Fnatic, MAD Lions, G2 Esports and Rogue.

Above all, LoL Worlds is a celebration of a new kind of sporting identity. An entire subculture of fashion and language has been created for this esport, and it now has the staying power to compete with regular sporting events. Be sure to check into your nearest sports broadcast to see where esports and League of Legends World Championship go from here. 

Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk.

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