Riot Games announced Shenzhen as the destination for the 2021 World Championship final.
In 2021, the World Championship is returning to China. This time, Riot is planning on executing the vision it had for 2020 that unfortunately couldn’t come to fruition due to travel restirctions around the world. Riot is planning a multi-city event that will end with the grand final in Shenzhen.
Shenzhen is a modern city located in southeastern China. Shenzhen is the connection between Hong Kong and mainland China. Considered one of the most modern cities in China, Shenzhen is the perfect location for Worlds’ finals.
Despite the current state of travel and immigration, fans can rest assured that Riot will go through with Worlds as planned. In 2020, Riot hosted the event in Shanghai, creating a safe bubble for all teams. The extra safety measures allowed the developer to host finals in front of a live audience, something that no other esports could achieve.
Welcome to a whole new era of LoL Esports. We’re talking game-changing metas. Icons rising. New blood and big moves. Get ready, cuz the future of our sport is here. #NextStartsNow pic.twitter.com/cqIYkNNVJI
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) January 8, 2021
While it’s great to hear about Worlds so early, all eyes are on the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational. The first international event of the year usually takes place in May. Unfortunately, it was canceled in 2020 due to the international restrictions on travel.
According to the information released so far, Riot is still planning to go through with MSI in 2021. The location of the event and dates are yet to be disclosed. Only the spring champions attend MSI, so from a logistical point of view, it would be easier for Riot to hold this event than Worlds. The issue that Riot might encounter is the lack of open cities. Just days after the start of 2021, most countries are going back to a full lockdown.
There’s still hope for MSI. But if the event gets canceled, Riot might go back to the 2020 plan of granting extra seeds to certain regions.
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