Riot Games is moving forward with its plans to host the 2020 League of Legends World Championship in China.
Riot announced the dates for Worlds 2020, the most important event of the year in competitive League of Legends. The competition kicks off on September 25 and will run through October 31. Halloween will see a new world champion crowned in Shanghai, China.
The entire event is taking place in Shanghai to reduce the risks presented by player travel. Back in July, it was reported that Riot considered adopting a bubble system for the event. It’s unclear if that’s still the case or if there will be a different system in place once the tournament starts. It’s also unclear when are the teams arriving and if they’re expected to get there at least two weeks before the event to comply with local health regulations.
10 years of Worlds & we’re just getting started. Welcome to Worlds 2020. It’s our time to Take Over. #Worlds2020 pic.twitter.com/wPY86hy5rk
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) August 1, 2020
The Play-In stage, main event, and knockout stage will be played online to guarantee the safety of players and staff. The grand final is taking place in the new Pudong Soccer Stadium, a state-of-the-art facility with a capacity of 33,000 people. If local guidelines allow it, the grand finals will be played in front of an audience. All information about safety protocols and tickets will be shared later on.
World Championship is also returning to China in 2021 to deliver the full experience it couldn’t deliver this year. In 2022, the event is heading to North America.
According to Nicolo Laurent, CEO at Riot Games, the developer is working closely with local and national authorities in China. Riot is also working with safety consultants and health institutions to guarantee the safety of everyone involved. Since the government is involved, teams will likely have an easy time getting their visas approved. Visa issues are one of the problems that esports teams must deal with at international events.
Considering that there are teams joining from all over the world, Riot is likely to put severe protocols in place.
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