The Summoner's Cup, trohpy of the League of Legends World Championship 2021 on display in Reykjavik, Iceland. /CFP
League of Legends (LoL) World Championship 2022 (Worlds 2022) will happen in four cities in North America: New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Mexico City, according to a video "accidentally" leaked by Riot Games on Saturday.
The video was made private on YouTube minutes after it was posted on lolesports page, but the description remained there to confirm the four hosts in three countries.
The world's top LoL eSports tournament will return to North America for the first time since 2016 when it took place in San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. SK Telecom T1 (today's T1) beat Samsung Galaxy (today's Gen. G) in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) derby at Staples Center in LA to win the title.
It will also be the first LoL international event hold in Mexico.
Edward Gaming (EDG) from League of Legends Pro League (LPL) celebrates after defeating DWG KIA (DK) from League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) to win the 2021 League of Legends World Championship Final in Reykjavík, Iceland, November 6, 2021. /CFP
Riot Games originally planned to have Worlds 2021 span China in five cities of Shanghai, Qingdao, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Shenzhen, but in the end, the tournament had to be hosted by Reykjavík, Iceland because of COVID-19.
Edward Gaming of China's League of Legends Pro League (LPL) defeated DWG KIA (DK) of LCK in the final to win the title of Worlds 2021.
LPL and LCK teams have been dominating the World Championship since 2013 and shared all the following nine titles – three won by LPL teams and six by LCK clubs.
More details, including COVID-19 protocol and specific dates, of Worlds 2022 remain unclear.