Riot Games has laid out where League of Legends esports is going in 2027. During a League of Legends presentation, the publisher revealed new host cities for its 3 international events, including the first World Championship stage in Japan and the first Mid-Season Invitational in Spain. The official LoL Esports account shared the Worlds 2027 news recently. Check out the official posts down below:
Worlds 2027 Splits Between Japan And South Korea
Riot had already announced that Worlds would return to South Korea in 2027. That still stands, but the tournament is now expanding to Japan for the first time, with the Swiss Stage in Nagoya. The entire Knockout Stage will then move to South Korea. Here is the full breakdown:
- Swiss Stage: Nagoya, Japan
- Quarterfinals and Semifinals: Suwon Convention Center, Suwon, South Korea
- Worlds Final: Seoul Arena, Seoul, South Korea
Riot said Japan "has a passionate and growing League of Legends community" and that the Swiss Stage marks "a historic first for the World Championship." The Final will take place at the brand-new Seoul Arena.
The Demacia Cup Could Replace The Play-In Stage
Riot is also looking at changes to the path to Worlds. Following the reception of this year's Demacia Cup, the company is evaluating whether the tournament could replace the traditional Worlds Play-In Stage in 2027, which it said could create more best-of series and more chances for teams to compete for a place at Worlds. Riot was clear that "no decisions have been finalized" and that it will share more as the plans develop.
MSI 2027 Comes To Valencia
The 2027 Mid-Season Invitational will be held at the Feria de Valencia in Valencia, Spain, the first time MSI has gone to the country. Riot pointed to Valencia's "rich sporting culture and passionate League of Legends community" as the reason for the pick. MSI brings together the top teams from Riot's regional leagues, and dates and ticket details will be shared in the coming months.
First Stand: All In Moves To China
First Stand, the international event that opens the competitive season, is getting a one-time expansion in 2027 called First Stand: All In. Riot said it will be the largest tournament it has ever produced, bringing more teams, more players and more of its global community together to start the season.
The bigger format comes with a change of location. First Stand 2027 was previously announced for Southeast Asia, but it has now moved to China. Riot said it remains committed to bringing major international events to Southeast Asia and confirmed that First Stand will head there in 2028, when the tournament returns to its traditional format. The host city, venue and dates for 2028 will be shared later.
The expanded tournament will also affect how Split 1 looks across Riot's regional leagues, so those leagues will be announcing their own 2027 schedules and formats soon. The format, qualification process and other details for First Stand: All In will arrive in January. Riot's thinking on the original First Stand format is covered in Riots Global Head Of LOL Esports Addresses First Stand Learnings, CBLOL Worlds Slot Addition, And More.
Worlds 2026 Wraps Up Today
The 2027 roadmap arrived a day before the end of the current World Championship. The Worlds 2026 Final took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with Gen.G facing Bilibili Gaming at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT. This year's tournament marked the return of Worlds to the United States, as covered in League Of Legends Worlds 2026 Returns To The U.S. In October. Here Are The Dates And Cities.
The Final at Barclays Center also had an opening ceremony with K/DA and True Damage, as covered in League Of Legends Worlds 2026 Opening Ceremony Will Bring K/DA And True Damage To Barclays Center.
Riot closed its announcement by saying it will be back in January with a deeper look at First Stand: All In and more details on its international events as the 2027 season gets closer.
With Worlds 2027 split between Nagoya, Suwon and Seoul, would you rather see the Swiss Stage in Japan or the Final at the new Seoul Arena?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.