League of Legends announces venues of major esports tourneys through 2027

MANILA, Philippines — Popular multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends, developed by Riot Games, has announced the venues of their upcoming esports tournaments until 2027.

As part of the game's new seasonal model, the debut season Noxus was released Thursday, January 9, and developer’s notes included updates to the titles' esports league.

For 2025, the league's new international tournament, First Stand, will take place in South Korea, with the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) happening in Vancouver, Canada; while the League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) will be staged in different parts of China (Swiss Stage in Beijing, playoffs in Shanghai and finals in Chengdu).

In 2026, First Stand will be hosted in Brazil, MSI will happen in South Korea, and Worlds will occur in North America. Come 2027, an international League of Legends tournament will make its way to Southeast Asia as the region will host the First Stand with MSI happening in Europe; and Worlds will head back to South Korea, which previously hosted the 2023 World Championship.

Another major esports update included the introduction of the "Full Fearless Draft”, which bans champions used from previous games in match series, allowing for players with large champion pools to shine and encourage creativity and adaptability among teams.

League of Legends' new seasonal model and its patch 25, Season One: Noxus, is now available in-game starting today.