Each year, League of Legends teams across the world strive to achieve the same goal: to attend and possibly be victorious at the World Championship tournament. The League of Legends World Championship may have started small however it quickly grew in its beginnings it is now considered to be one of the most esports-focused tournaments of the year. How did it come to where it is today? The Esports Observer is here to break it down.

What exactly is the World Championship?

Riot Games hosts a World Championship tournament each year in which professional League of Legends leagues from all over the world participate with their players for the Summoner's Cup which is the biggest prize that can be won. The tournament typically runs for about a month with each stage occurring in a different location. If you're an avid League of Legends fan, you need to know about what is the all-star LOL event.

How Do Teams Qualify?

In the professional League of Legends, there are six so-called "major regions": North America, Europe, South Korea, China as well as the LMS (comprised of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao). Each of these regions is guaranteed 1-3 slots at the group stage of the tournament dependent on their positions in other tournaments around the year. These slots are filled by the top teams from each region, with 12 teams automatically qualified for the group stage.

The remaining four slots are filled out by teams that participate in the play-in phase. Each of the twelve "minor regional" leagues sends one participant to the stage. 4 additional slots are filled by teams representing large regions that didn't be able to qualify for the group stages. Four more teams are added after a round-robin and an event for group play. This makes 16 teams competing for the title.

How is the World Championship Structured?

The League of Legends World Championship includes two stages. One is called the group stage, the second is the knockout stage. The 16 teams are split into four groups throughout the five-week event. Each group plays an a double round-robin. The knockout phase is decided by the two top scoring teams in each group. On handleveled.net, you can get the complete picture of what is the all-star LOL event.

It's a normal bracket event. After the group stages the remaining eight teams take part in a series knockout games that culminate in a grand final which the next World Champion is determined.

What are the advantages of an Singular, Official World Championship?

While other high-profile esports like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive utilize an open tournament structure with numerous major championships each year for their respective competitive scene, League of Legends sticks with a singular tournament run by developers.

Riot Games created its competitive game with the goal of stabilizing an industry that was rapidly growing. For the moment, it has succeeded. Where other major esports have crowded competitive schedules, League has a straightforward format, designed to place as much importance on a single event as is possible.

This means that the World Championship is now the most important event of the year for League of Legends players. The entire season of competition was designed to lead up to the World Championship. It's a final, decisive finish that no other esport anywhere in the world has had the chance to rival. Riot's commitment to turning their entire competitive scene into the same event, even though they have annual championships, has created an unrivaled narrative arc throughout the entire season.