Mastercard Becomes First Global Sponsor for League of Legends
Mastercard is now the first global sponsor for League of Legend esports.
In a statement on their
website, Riot Games announced a multi-year partnership with the international credit card company.
Mastercard is no stranger to sponsorships with traditional sporting leagues such as Major League Baseball. With this new sponsorship, Riot Games has taken a big step in advertising in the esports industry.
“Mastercard is among the first of world-class brands to take such a big step into esports at the global level, and we’re proud to have them support League of Legends esports events,” said Naz Aletaha, head of esports partnerships at Riot Games.
Kicking off with the 2018 World Championship, Mastercard will become the exclusive payment services partner for upcoming League of Legends esports events.
“We are excited about the experiences and benefits we can bring to the world’s largest esport – both in-game and to the millions of League of Legends fans that watch and attend the tournaments each year,” said Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer at Mastercard.
Riot Games and Mastercard will also be offering the chance to get a behind-the-scenes look during the World Championship finals. Fans have the opportunity to win an exclusive viewing of the opening ceremony rehearsal and to perform a playtest on the PCs the pros will later use to compete.
This sponsorship with Mastercard comes at a crucial time for League of Legends as an esport. A recent
Reddit post
stated that Riot Games will consider cutting the company’s esports budget if revenue doesn’t soon increase. Fans will hope that this new partnership can help provide a boost to League’s esports profits in the years to come.
Jared Wynne
About Jared Wynne
Jared Wynne is the Editor-in-Chief at WIN.gg, overseeing its content. He has been working in digital media for over two decades, most often in and around the gaming industry. His all-time favorite games include Baldur’s Gate, Doom, and Counter-Strike, but he’ll play just about anything that seems interesting. His previous credits include The Daily Dot, The Esports Observer, GameLand, and more.
View full profile
Read Also
Esports Betting
Here Are My Predictions For The Hanwha Life Esports vs T1 LCK Lower Final
Ben Boland
LCK fans are in for a treat as Hanwha Life Esports and T1 both battle for a ticket to the grand final, where Gen.G awaits. The last time these two met, they tore the house down. I expect more of the same this time in the lower final. Here are the best bets to make on HLE vs T1 in the LCK 2026 Summer Playoffs Lower Final at GG.BET, one ...
League of Legends
Riot Games eyes Polymarket and Kalshi for esports sponsorships
Michael Hassall
Riot Games, the creator of League of Legends and VALORANT is reportedly exploring the protentional of sponsorship deals with prediction market operators including Polymarket and Kalshi, as per reports emerging late last night (Sep. 10). First reported by Cecilia D’Anastasio of Bloomberg, Riot has started conversations with the two top prediction market operators, Kalshi and Polymarket, with a view to one or both of them becoming sponsors within Riot Games’ ...
Esports Betting
HLE vs T1: Best Betting Odds and Picks for LCK 2026 Playoffs
Hannan Mundia
HLE and T1 will duke it out in the 2026 LCK Playoffs lower bracket final, but which team has a better chance of facing Gen.G in the grand final? This year’s LCK season has been filled with ups and downs. In particular, the top three teams have constantly struggled against each other, but Gen.G managed to get ahead of the fray in the end. Now, HLE and T1 will face ...
Esports Betting
Bet Tips and Predictions For Team Vitality vs MKOI LEC Summer Playoffs
Ben Boland
The LEC playoffs are well underway, and we have Team Vitality taking on MKOI in a do-or-die series. Lose here, and your chances of qualifying for Worlds 2026 go up in smoke. With Vitality getting dismantled by G2 Esports in their opening series, it begs the question whether it was just the G2 playoffs magic, or Vitality are not the team we thought they were. Let’s take a look at ...
Esports Betting
LCS Playoffs Round 1 Best Bets: Will C9 Falter?
Ben Boland
The LCS Summer regular season has finally come to a close and six teams will now do battle over the next few weeks with the hope of representing their region at the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. The first round of playoffs is expected to set the tone for what is to be an exciting conclusion to the return of the LCS. Cloud9 and Shopify do battle once again, ...
Esports Betting
The Best LCS Summer Split Week 7 Odds: Upsets On The Horizon?
Ben Boland
The LoL betting world is in for a treat this weekend as the LCS Summer Split regular season enters its final week. Everything is to play for, from the battle for first place to who starts life in the upper bracket. Esports betting sites are unsurprisingly covering the games extensively, and here my tips to bet on for each LCS match this weekend. This is a series that could go ...
League of Legends
LEC Playoffs Round 1 Betting Tips: G2 vs Vitality & Karmine Corp vs GIANTX
Ben Boland
The 2026 LEC Summer Playoffs are finally here in the world of LoL betting. After weeks of regular-season action, the battle to get to Worlds 2026 is heating up. Team Vitality, G2 Esports, GiantX, and Karmine Corp start their playoff run in the upper bracket. Both sets of matches have a lot of betting potential, with some decent value to be found. Here are some of the best bets to ...
