League of Legends
Riot Games has announced the League of Legends World Championship will be hosted in South Korea in 2023. The tournament will take place from October 11-November 19 in Seoul and Busan.
"The World Final has been scheduled later than usual to support the 19th Asian Games being held September 23-October 8 in Hangzhou, China! League of Legends and six other esports titles will be featured as medal events for the first time. The shift will accommodate our LoL Esports pro players competing in the Asian Games," noted the Riot Games statement.
Worlds' new format will feature 22 teams in three stages of competition.
- The Play-In Stage will be held October 10-15 at LoL Park in Seoul.
- The Swiss Stage from October 19-23 and October 26-29 will be played at KBS Arena in Seoul.
- Knockouts consist of Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals.
- Quarterfinals will be November 2-5 and Semifinals will be November 11-12, both taking place in Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan.
- The World Final will be on November 19 and will be played at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul; the largest indoor venue in the country and the home of the Seoul-based baseball team, Kiwoom Heroes.
Tickets will officially go on sale in three waves. Play-In Stage tickets will go on sale July 10, Swiss Stage tickets will go on sale July 19, and Knockout Stage tickets will go on sale August 2.
South Korea previously hosted the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational in Busan and Worlds 2018 and Worlds 2014 with multi-city tours.