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League of Legends World Championship returns to China in 2020
Shanghai will also host Dota 2’s The International in 2019
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
One of the most esteemed esports tournaments -- the League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) -- will be held in China in 2020, said developer Riot Games.
This came just two months after Dota 2, a rival MOBA esports title, announced that the 9th The International Dota 2 Championship (TI9) will be coming to Shanghai next year. It was such a big deal to the city that the mayor of Shanghai herself made the announcement.
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But this isn’t the first time that China will host Worlds. Beijing was home to Worlds 2017 just a year ago, which proved to be one of the most popular esports events ever.
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The tournament consistently packed the Beijing National Stadium with over 40,000 fans during its semi-finals and Finals. The online viewership number was jaw-dropping, with over 80 million people tuning into the semifinals -- where South Korea’s SK Telecom T1 took down China’s Royal Never Give Up.
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So maybe it’s not surprising that Worlds will return to China for the second time in its 10th season. Riot Games made the announcement on Thursday in the lead-up to the year’s Finals at Worlds, which is being held in South Korea this weekend.
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