Riot Games has announced a multi-city tour for the upcoming 2022 League of Legends World Championship, and one of the locations featured will be Toronto’s very own Scotiabank Arena.
The announcement was made during a press conference at the Chase Center, just before an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors. A press release details Riot’s plan to “canvas North America,” with the championships visiting four different cities as listed below. This marks Worlds’ first return to North America since the 2016 championships.
- Play-Ins in Mexico City, Mexico;
- Groups and Quarterfinals in New York City;
- Semifinals in Toronto, Canada;
- Finals in San Francisco, California.
In Worlds, 24 different teams from across Riot’s twelve leagues compete for the top spot. Last year EDward Gaming, the top-seeded team from the China league, ended up taking home the championship. Each year the League of Legends World Championships have increased in viewership, with the 2020 championship breaking records with 45.95 million peak concurrent viewers worldwide and an average minute audience (AMA) of more than 23.04 million.
With the announcement of this year’s tour Naz Aletaha, Global Head of LoL Esports, commented by saying,
“The momentum behind League of Legends Esports has only continued to grow since the last time we hosted Worlds in the U.S. in 2016. We’re thrilled to bring the full scale of our global sport back to North America, and, COVID permitting, welcome fans into the stands across three countries and four different cities.”
The Scotiabank Arena first opened in 1999, and is home to both the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The venue has consistently been recognized as one of Canada’s very best venues, and to date has received over 50 various awards dealing with safety, accessibility, fan service, food and beverage, and more.
Riot Games will announce dates and further information at a later time.
