The League of Legends Worlds Championship (LoL Worlds) final was held in the O2 arena in London on Nov. 2, 2024. T1 became the World’s 2024 Champions. This was T1’s fifth victory at LoL Worlds and a new record for winning two consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024, with the same roster: Faker, Oner, Zeus, Gumayusi, and Keria.
They had a fierce final match against Bilibili Gaming (BLG). The final match score was three out of five. BLG won the first and third sets, and T1 won the second set. T1 fell behind by one score after the third set. However, T1 won the fourth and fifth sets, ultimately defeating BLG in the LoL Worlds 2024 final. Gumayusi stayed true to his word from a teaser of the semifinal, saying, “I came as champion, and I will go back as champion.” Additionally, Faker proved that legends never die and the reason people call him the “Unkillable Demon King.” His incredible performances in the fourth and fifth sets played a significant role in T1’s victory. Therefore, Faker was selected as the Final MVP of the 2024 LoL Worlds.
The peak viewership of the final match was 6.94 million, setting a new record audience in esports. In addition, the average viewership of the match was 5.64 million. This is incredible data compared to the 2019 Worlds peak viewership of 3.98 million. The History of LoL Worlds’ viewership shows that the popularity of LOL esports is increasing explosively. Today, esports is a culture of cheering for teams, watching pro gamers play, and experiencing the highs and lows of competition.
So why are a lot of people so enthusiastic about esports, specifically League of Legends?
The first reason why people like LoL is because of an iconic figure, Faker. Fields that need public interest often have iconic figures. For instance, Lionel Messi in soccer and Michael Jeffrey Jordan in basketball. In the LoL industry, Faker plays this role as a symbol of the pro gamer.
Faker, whose real name is Lee Sang-hyeok, is a pro gamer from South Korea. He is a mid-laner for team T1. He has been a pro gamer since 2013 and is considered the best pro gamer. He has won five times at LoL Worlds, 10 times at League of Legends Champions Korea, twice at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), and at the Esports World Cup. Moreover, he is a gold medallist from the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022.
People hear his name and know that there is someone who earns money by playing a video game. They see others going to stadiums to see his matches. It is the starting point for people who don’t know the fields to find information and watch videos related to the figures. It expands the fan base and increases the reputation of the field. In addition, some people want to be like them and their endeavors. It increases the inflow of talented people and prospects to the field.
Not only Faker but also pro gamers’ active interaction with fans affects the popularity of the LoL championship. Many teams of pro gamers make videos with members, such as reviews of their gameplay, ranking of other teams, or content unrelated to the game. Also, a lot of pro gamers live-stream their play on Twitch, YouTube, etc. For example, Sneaky, a pro gamer of the League Championship Series, uploads reviews of game matches. Broadcasting is a way for them to advertise, earn money, and interact with their fans.
Last but not least, watching LoL matches gives viewers extreme excitement. LoL is a 5v5 team game. There are five positions: Top Lane, Mid Lane, Bot Lane, Jungle, and Support, with each member taking on a position. The way to win is to destroy the enemy’s nexus. Until breaking up a core building, a nexus, one set lasts 30 to 45 minutes on average. Players hide from the enemy team or fight; pro gamers need fast reaction speed, judgment, and strategy to win. When members of a team that viewers cheer for make plays, viewers feel nervous and thrilled when their favorite team kills the enemies. This emotional rollercoaster makes viewers excited. Such tension caused by LoL matches is an attractive point.
How about watching LoL esports as a new hobby? It is okay not to know the rules of LoL. If you watch three sets, you will understand the structure of the game and enjoy it. The 2024 LoL esports matches held by Riot Games, the developer of LoL, have now finished, but Riot has announced information regarding the 2025 LoL esports and a new global event, the First Stand Tournament. The new event will be held from March 10-16, 2025, in Seoul, South Korea. MSI will be held in Canada at the end of June. Finally, Chengdu, China, will host the 2025 LoL Worlds. You can find more information on the Riot Games homepage.
Author
She is Maya Lee. She likes participating in events. Also, she likes writing about interesting topics.
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