League Of Legends’ grand final arrives in London in record-breaking fashion

Many esports events have been called videogames’ answer to the Super Bowl, but with 14,700 fans gathering in London’s O2 Arena to watch two pro teams duking it out in a four-hour grand final, plus an opening ceremony headlined by Linkin Park, The League Of Legends World Championship might be the one event that has a valid claim to that title. And 15 years into League’s lifespan, it’s still growing. This year’s Worlds final, on November 2, reached a peak of 6.94 million viewers, breaking the record it set last year as the most spectated esport event of all time – and those figures don’t include China, where the game is practically a national sport.

China and South Korea dominate the competitive scene, accounting for seven of the top eight teams at this year’s Worlds. Both countries were represented in the grand final, with China’s Billibilli Gaming (BLG for short) facing Korea’s T1 (home to perhaps the game’s most famous player, Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok). Accordingly, these events have previously been held mostly in North America, home of developer Riot Games, or Asia. The very first Worlds was held in Sweden, and it has returned to Europe a few times over the years, but this was the first time the final had been held in London.