You may not have known it, but the year’s biggest sports tournament is about to hold its final. No, it’s not baseball and the World Series; it’s the 2022 League of Legends World Championship. The popular e-sports contest, which sees players from around the world compete to become the champion of the popular Riot Games video game League of Legends, has been running for just over a decade, and shows no signs of waning.
Players and fans alike may not know that they too can participate in the championship by streaming it on a number of platforms. But where is it streaming? And do you need to pay to see it? Digital Trends has all the answers for you below.
Where is it streaming?
Fortunately for fans and casual viewers alike, there are a number of options to view the final. Your best bet is to go to the home source: Riot Games. Their Twitch channel will carry the final match live in addition to their official website. You can also view the match on the LoL esports YouTube channel. Finally, you can view the tournament’s ultimate battle on Riot’s Trovo page.
What time does it start?
The final starts at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Where is it taking place?
The final is set to take place at the Chase Center in San Francisco. For the occasion, the final will showcase “the most ambitious stage build ever,” according to Carrie Dunn, the global head of creative for Riot Games Esports. There will be an elaborate opening ceremony with musical acts Lil Nas X and Jackson Wang set to perform.
Who is competing?
In the final, two teams from Korea, T1 and DRX, will face off in a winner-take-all final that is guaranteed to make history. Why? Both teams have players that are 26 years old (T1’s Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and DRX’s Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu). No matter who wins, they will break the record set in 2017 when Kang “Ambition” Chan-yong, then 25, became the oldest champion in the tournament’s history.
There have been 11 champions in the tournament’s short history with one team, SK Telecom T1, winding the Summoner’s Cup three times (but with different team members). For a handy list of past winners, click here.
What is League of Legends?
Oh boy, if you’re here seeking the answer to that question, you have a lot of catching up to do. Just in case, here’s a brief primer: League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena (or MOBA) game. It was first released in 2009 and has become the most popular e-sport ever. We can go on about the game’s origins, the game’s storylines and characters, but all you need to know is in this excellent article from The Washington Post.
What does Lil Nas X have to do with this?
First, that’s a rude question to ask! But we’ll answer it anyway: He wrote and performed the theme song to this year’s tournament, “Star Walkin.” A noted video game fan, Lil Nas X is by far the biggest musical act in the tournament’s history. If you haven’t listened to the song, you should check it out. It’s good for playing video games or just cleaning around the house.
