2015 League of Legends World Championship
The 2015 League of Legends World Championship was the fifth annual world championship for the popular MOBA game. Hosted across Europe, the tournament culminated with SK Telecom T1 defeating KOO Tigers to claim the Summoner's Cup. It set significant viewership records and was the last time a team from the Asia-Pacific region reached the knockout stage for a decade.
| Game | League of Legends |
|---|---|
| Developer | Riot Games |
| First held | 2015 |
| Dates | October 1–31, 2015 |
| Final venue | Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin, Germany |
| Prize pool | $2,130,000 |
| Format | Group stage, Single elimination bracket |
| Champion | SK Telecom T1 |
| Runner-up | KOO Tigers |
Tournament Format and Venues
The 2015 World Championship followed a two-stage format. It began with a group stage featuring sixteen teams divided into four groups. These groups played a double round-robin of best-of-one matches, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
The tournament was hosted in four European cities. The group stage took place at Le Dock Pullman in Paris. The quarterfinals moved to Wembley Arena in London, followed by the semifinals at the Brussels Expo in Brussels. The grand finals were held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin on October 31.
Group Stage Drama
The group stage ran from October 1 to October 11. The competition was intense, with several groups seeing close battles for the two knockout spots. In Group B, ahq e-Sports Club and North America's Cloud9 finished with identical 3-3 records, forcing a tiebreaker match to decide second place. ahq e-Sports Club won that decisive game to secure their advancement.
Knockout Stage and Championship Final
The knockout stage, featuring the eight qualifying teams, was a single-elimination bracket played in a best-of-five format. It started on October 15 in London. The bracket culminated in the grand final in Berlin, where the leading South Korean team SK Telecom T1 faced fellow Korean team KOO Tigers.
In the final, SK Telecom T1 demonstrated their dominance, defeating the KOO Tigers by a score of 3-1. The single game they lost in the final was the only match they dropped throughout the entire tournament, confirming a historically strong performance.
Record Viewership and Broadcast
The 2015 World Championship broke viewership records for esports at the time. The finals were watched by an estimated 36 million people online. Official sources reported a peak of around 14 million concurrent viewers during the final match.
The games were streamed globally on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Azubu. In a landmark move for esports broadcasting, the knockout stage was also streamed on BBC Three in the United Kingdom, while the final was available on ESPN3 in the United States.
Controversies and Technical Problems
The tournament was not without its controversies. During the group stage in Paris, Cloud9 player Hai Lam was fined 500 euros for making an obscene gesture towards an opponent on stage.
A significant technical issue occurred during the quarterfinal series between Fnatic and EDward Gaming. A game-breaking bug affected Fnatic player Reignover, forcing a full remake of the game. After investigation, Riot Games disabled three champions for the rest of the tournament, including Gragas, who Reignover was using, along with Lux and Ziggs, due to a susceptibility to the same bug.
Historical Significance
The 2015 event holds an unusual place in competitive history. It was the last time a team from the Asia-Pacific region, which includes leagues like Taiwan's LMS, qualified for the knockout stage of Worlds. This drought lasted for ten years, until CTBC Flying Oyster from the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) reached the knockout stage in 2025.
The tournament also confirmed South Korea's position at the top of League of Legends esports, with an all-Korean final and a dominant champion in SK Telecom T1.
FAQ
Who won the 2015 League of Legends World Championship?
SK Telecom T1 won the 2015 World Championship. They defeated the KOO Tigers 3-1 in the grand final held in Berlin.
Where was the 2015 Worlds final held?
The grand final was held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany. The tournament was hosted across Europe, with stages also in Paris, London, and Brussels.
What was the viewership for the 2015 Worlds final?
The final had an estimated 36 million total viewers. It reached a peak of around 14 million concurrent viewers during the broadcast.
Why were champions disabled during the 2015 tournament?
Riot Games disabled the champions Gragas, Lux, and Ziggs. This was due to a game-breaking bug discovered during a quarterfinal match that forced a game remake. The champions were deemed susceptible to the same technical issue.
What was unique about the Asia-Pacific region's performance in 2015?
The 2015 tournament was the last time a team from the Asia-Pacific region qualified for the knockout stage until 2025. ahq e-Sports Club from Taiwan reached the quarterfinals in 2015, a feat not repeated by the region for a decade.
Source: English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), rewritten by the Redington Cybersport desk.
