Keeping track of all the major League of Legends (LoL) events can be tricky, and with different formats for each event, potentially even difficult to grasp. In this article, we break down the main events that take place throughout the year.
Riot Games opt to run regional League of Legends esports leagues across the globe, with the main four taking place in the EMEA region (LEC), North America (LCS), South Korea (LCK) and China (LPL). Domestic seasons are divided into two “splits” – a Spring Split and a Summer Split. The final standings of these two splits then decide the teams’ positions in the playoffs.
By winning each split, teams can qualify for one of the few international LoL esports events run throughout the year, with the main goal being the League of Legends World Championship - more commonly known as Worlds.
The LEC decided to add an additional Winter Split to their format in 2023, although this doesn't affect their spots for either MSI or Worlds.
What is the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI)?
The first international event of the year and the biggest behind the LoL World Championship, the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is a prestigious esports tournament where the world’s best League of Legends teams come together to prove which region is the strongest.
The Spring Split winners from the four major LoL leagues are invited to compete for a minimum prize pool of $250,000, regional pride and, most importantly, seeding for the LoL World Championship. The better a team performs, the better seeding their region will receive for Worlds.
The four major regions mentioned in the beginning of this article each receive two slots for the tournament, while the smaller regions, such as CBLOL and LLA, are given one slot each.
This is extremely important, as it means the region of the winning team will be guaranteed a place in the Worlds Group Stages for all three of its seeds. Otherwise, the bottom seeds of that region will have to compete in the play-ins to earn their spot in the tournament.
Why is the League of Legends World Championship important?
The big one. The LoL World Championship is the pinnacle for any professional League of Legends esports player. To call yourself the best in the world is a unique honor that only a handful of teams have achieved. Of the 13 LoL World Championships, South Korea’s T1 have won four.
Worlds has a play-in stage where four teams advance to the Swiss stage. Eight teams can qualify further to the playoffs. The tournament then turns into a knockout format of quarterfinals, semifinals and a final.
The top three seeds from each major region receive an invite to Worlds, and the smaller regions receive one or two play-in spots depending on their performance at MSI.
The top three seeds for major regions are decided via its teams’ performances throughout the year, not just the Summer Split. If you win the Summer Split, you are guaranteed a place at Worlds, but the other seeds are decided by championship points. The higher you place in both the Spring and Summer Splits, the more points you earn.
In summer, once the winner of the playoffs is decided, a gauntlet is held between the remaining top teams to decide who gets the third and final spot. Each team’s place in the gauntlet is again decided by how well the teams performed in the playoffs.
As for the League of Legends World Championship itself, the tournament starts off with a play-in stage in which four teams qualify to the intense Swiss stage. Teams need to win three games to advance through to the next stage, with eight spots available in the playoffs. The tournament then transforms into a knockout format of quarterfinals, semifinals and a final, which all feature best-of-five matches.
Worlds is the only LoL esports tournament that makes use of crowdfunding for the prize pool. The winning players also each get to pick a character in-game to receive a special purchasable skin that will be designed around their team’s brand.
