China! China! China!

The League of Legends 2020 World Championship is happening this September in China.

In a video message by Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent and Global Head of Esports John Needham talk about the plans for the global tournament:

All stages will be held in Shanghai to ensure the health and safety of everyone for Worlds 2020 which will begin on September 25 and will end on October 31.

Riot Games states that hosting the event in a single city will reduce travel throughout the tournament and give Riot the ability to more closely control the show environment. Worlds 2020 will continue to use the guidance from various health organizations and local and national authorities to prioritize safety for all participating players, fans, and everyone involved in Worlds 2020.

Virtual Fan Experience for Worlds 2020

The earlier stages of the tournament will focus on the digital viewer experiences and will not be played in front of a live audience. Riot Games promises to

bringing our unique visceral live sporting experience throughout the event to you digitally — in true League of Legends Esports style. From the Elder Dragon in 2017 to last year’s Holonet technology with True Damage, we’ve always tried to innovate on the viewer experience and we are incredibly excited for this year’s show.

Riot also shares their plans for Worlds next year and has announced that they will be coming back to China. with a promise of a full multi-city World Championship Tour which aims to bring the live sporting experience while North America will host the World Championship in 2022.

You can check out more about Worlds this year here.