2021 League of Legends World Championship

Pandemic Impact and Hosting

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the planned format for the 2021 World Championship. Riot Games had initially announced a multi-city tour across China, with stops in Shanghai, Qingdao, Wuhan, and Chengdu, and the finals scheduled for Shenzhen. However, due to travel complications arising from the pandemic in mainland China, the entire event was relocated to Reykjavík, Iceland, which had also hosted the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational earlier that year.

As a direct result of the pandemic, the tournament was held without a live audience at the Laugardalshöll arena. Furthermore, two qualified teams from the Vietnam Championship Series (VCS) were once again unable to attend the event due to travel restrictions, marking the second consecutive year the region was absent from Worlds. This absence directly impacted the qualification format, as explained later.

Qualification and Format Changes

Twenty-two teams from eleven global regions qualified for the tournament based on their placement in regional circuits. The top regions, South Korea's LCK and China's LPL, each received an additional spot, totaling four representatives each for the main group stage. Due to Vietnam's inability to field teams, the third seed from Europe's LEC received direct entry into the group stage instead of having to compete in the play-in stage.

The qualification format for North America's LCS changed to a one-season-per-year system, with seeding decided by the cumulative scoreboard from the whole season and the results from their championship series. The top four regions from the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational, specifically the LPL, LCK, LEC, and PCS, had their summer champions seeded into Pool 1 for the main event's group stage draw.

The Play-In Stage Structure

The tournament began with a play-in stage from October 5 to 9. Ten teams were drawn into two groups of five for a single round-robin where all matches were best-of-one. If teams finished with the same win-loss record, tiebreaker matches were played. Notably, a two-way tie was not broken by the head-to-head result, though the team that won that earlier game received side selection for the tiebreaker.

The top team from each group automatically qualified for the Main Event. The second, third, and fourth-place teams from each group advanced to the play-in knockouts, with the second-place team receiving a bye to the second match. The play-in knockouts used a king-of-the-hill format with two branches. The third and fourth-place teams from the same group faced off in Match 1. The winner then played the second-place team from the *other* group in Match 2. All these knockout matches were best-of-five, and the two winners of Match 2 advanced to the main event group stage.

Group Stage and Knockout Draw

The main group stage ran from October 11 to 18. Sixteen teams were drawn into four groups of four based on seeding, with a strict rule preventing teams from the same region from being placed together. The format was a double round-robin of best-of-one matches. Tiebreakers were used if teams had identical win-loss and head-to-head records, with placement decided by the combined times of the teams' victorious games if more than two teams were tied.

The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage. The knockout stage, a single-elimination bracket held from October 22 to November 6, featured all best-of-five matches. In the quarterfinal draw, each first-place team from the groups was drawn against a second-place team from a different group. Teams from the same initial group were placed on opposite sides of the bracket, ensuring they could only meet again in the final. For side selection, the first-place team chose sides for the first game of a series, and the loser of each previous game chose the side for the next.

The Road to the Final and Champion

The knockout stage culminated in a highly anticipated final between the defending champions, DWG KIA from South Korea's LCK, and China's LPL representatives, Edward Gaming. DWG KIA entered as favorites, having dominated much of the year's international competition.

The grand final was a tense, back-and-forth series that went the full five games. In a dramatic conclusion, Edward Gaming managed to overcome the defending champions with a 3-2 victory. This win secured Edward Gaming its first-ever Summoner's Cup and claimed a prize of $489,500. The victory marked a major triumph for the LPL region, dethroning the LCK's hold on the championship.

Music and Event Details

The official theme song for the 2021 World Championship was Burn It All Down, performed by PVRIS. The event featured several official remix versions of the song produced by artists including Denzel Curry, CIFIKA, Besomorph, and Wang Yibo from Uniq. The musical presentation, a staple of the World Championship, helped build hype for the tournament's climax, which was broadcast globally.

The tournament operated on a consistent schedule, with the play-in group stage beginning at 11:00 UTC, the main group stage also starting at 11:00 UTC, and all knockout stage matches beginning at 12:00 UTC. This consistency allowed for a reliable viewing experience for the global audience tuning in to watch the conclusion of the 2021 League of Legends esports season.

Legacy and Context

The 2021 World Championship concluded a season heavily shaped by ongoing global circumstances. It demonstrated the esports industry's adaptability, successfully relocating and executing a massive international event under pandemic constraints. The victory by Edward Gaming against the reigning champions provided a memorable narrative of an underdog triumph, further confirming the LPL as a leading region.

The event continued the World Championship's reputation as one of the world's most watched esports tournaments. By maintaining a high level of competition and production without a live audience, it set a precedent for hybrid and remote broadcasting models that would influence future events.