The League of Legends World Championship returns to Korea this year for the first time since 2018, with matches to be held in both Seoul and Busan in October and November.
Korea is known to be one of the most active countries in the world when it comes to esports. It hosted the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational in Busan, and also two previous editions of Worlds back in 2018 and 2014.
With Riot introducing a new Worlds format this year, there will be a total of 22 teams competing in three different stages. Below is the schedule with the corresponding venues for each phase.
- Play-In Stage: 10th-15th Oct – LoL Park (Seoul)
- Swiss Stage: 19th-23th Oct and 26th-29th Oct – KBS Arena (Seoul)
- Quarterfinals: 2nd-5th Nov – Sajik Indoor Gymnasium (Busan)
- Semifinals: 11th-12th Nov – Sajik Indoor Gymnasium (Busan)
- Finals: 19th Nov – Gocheok Sky Dome (Seoul)
In particular, Gocheok Sky Dome is the largest indoor venue in the country and the home of the Seoul-based baseball team, Kiwoom Heroes. It can host up to 16 744 people.
Compared to previous editions, the World Finals will be pushed later than usual to accommodate for the 19th Asian Games which will take place in Hangzhou from the 23rd of September to the 8th of October.
Riot Games also announced when tickets will be available. The play-in stage tickets will go on sale on the 10th of July, while Swiss Stage tickets will be on the 19th of July. The Knockout stage tickets, which will also include the ones for the LoL Worlds finals, will be sold on the 2nd of August, 2023.
