The 2021 League of Legends World Championship will be held in Reykjavík, Iceland, from 5 October to 6 November, according to a Dot Esports report of 30 August. The venue is the Laugardalshöll Indoor Sporting Arena — the same building that hosted Riot Games’ VALORANT Masters and Mid-Season Invitational.
The schedule
The tournament runs in five stages, as it did last year. The play-in stage runs from 5 to 9 October and the group stage from 11 to 18 October. Playoffs open with the quarterfinals from 22 to 25 October, the semifinals follow on 30 and 31 October, and the final is on 6 November. Because of the COVID-19 situation, no crowds are allowed in at any point.
Crimson Gameforge WitchThe old stage is out.
Pixel CatThen reroute the contest, not the goal.
- The planned China event was cancelled after travel concerns increased
- Europe was selected to give more teams and players a route to compete
- The tournament moved into one Reykjavík arena without a live crowd
Why it moved from China
Riot announced on 24 August that the championship would not take place in China after all, citing increasing concerns about the Delta variant and possible travel restrictions. The alternative was a European country.
Holding the whole tournament in one place was the other half of the decision: players from different regions were worried about attending and then getting home again.
Why Europe, and why Iceland
The Mid-Season Invitational had been held in Europe that May, which made the region a known quantity. Needham put the reasoning plainly: “After considering all potential options, we concluded that moving Worlds to Europe provided the best opportunity for the most teams, and their best players, to compete”.
Who is competing
22 of the 24 teams will be in Iceland. The relocation cost the tournament one region: the Vietnam Championship Series reported problems attending, because the pandemic had brought increasingly strict visa requirements for Vietnam residents.
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Frequently asked questions
Where is LoL Worlds 2021 being held?
The 2021 League of Legends World Championship takes place at the Laugardalshöll Indoor Sporting Arena in Reykjavík, Iceland, from 5 October to 6 November, according to a Dot Esports report of 30 August. The same arena hosted Riot Games’ VALORANT Masters and Mid-Season Invitational events.
What is the LoL Worlds 2021 schedule?
The play-in stage runs from 5 to 9 October, the group stage from 11 to 18 October, the quarterfinals from 22 to 25 October, the semifinals on 30 and 31 October, and the final on 6 November.
Why was LoL Worlds 2021 moved from China?
Riot announced on 24 August that the championship would no longer be held in China, because of increasing concerns about the Delta variant and possible travel restrictions, and would move to a European country instead.
Why was Europe chosen?
The Mid-Season Invitational had been hosted in Europe that May, which made it a solid choice. Needham said that after considering all potential options, moving Worlds to Europe provided the best opportunity for the most teams, and their best players, to compete.
Will there be a crowd at LoL Worlds 2021?
No. Because of the COVID-19 situation, no crowds are allowed in at any time, and every stage takes place entirely in Iceland.
How many teams are competing?
22 of the 24 teams will compete. The change of location affected only one region: the Vietnam Championship Series reported problems attending, as the pandemic led to increasingly strict visa requirements for Vietnam residents.
