2026 League of Legends World Championship final

2026 League of Legends
World Championship Final

New York City will host the final series.
Date	TBD
City	New York City, New York, United States
← 2025 2027→

The 2026 League of Legends World Championship Final is an upcoming League of Legends (LoL) esports series set to be held in New York City, New York, United States, marking the sixteenth final of the League of Legends World Championship.

The series will be a best of five and will be the first World Championship final to be held in the East Coast of the United States, as all prior finals held in North America have been held in Los Angeles (2012, 2013, 2016) and San Francisco (2022) - all in the country's West Coast.

Background and host selection

During the media day for the 2025 World Championship Final in Chengdu, China on 7 November 2025, Riot Games announced the host cities of the 2026 edition of Worlds, with Allen, Texas of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex hosting all stages of the tournament until the semifinals, and New York City staging the Finals. ^{[1] [2]} It has been announced previously on 8 January 2025 that the 2026 tournament would be held in North America in a development update video for the game posted by Riot Games to begin that year's competitive season.

New York City was one of the host cities of the 2016 and 2022 editions of the League of Legends World Championship - all of which in the Midtown Manhattan area. In 2016, the semifinals were held at the Madison Square Garden, ^[3] while the group stage and quarterfinals in 2022 took place at MSG's The Theater, which was then known as the Hulu Theater and was the venue's first esports event. ^[4]

Pre-series

Before the finals, it is expected that an opening ceremony will take place, featuring performances from musical artists who had collaborated with League of Legends throughout the year, the introduction of the finalists, and the reveal of the Summoner's Cup.

References

1. Hale, Jacob (7 November 2025). "Riot Games Reveal 2026 International Tournament Locations: LoL Worlds '26, MSI & First Stand". Esports.net. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
2. "LoL: Worlds Headed to Texas, First Stand Expands to Eight Teams — Riot Outlines the 2026 International Schedule". Sheep Esports. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
3. Rozelle, Whalen. "2016 World Championship hits North America". LoL Esports. Riot Games. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
4. Esguerra, Tyler (21 July 2022). "LOL Worlds 2022 | Dates, Schedule & Where It Be Held?". Dot Esports. Retrieved 8 November 2025.