FlyQuest competes during week 3 of the 2023 LCS Summer Split at the Riot Games Arena on June 29, 2023. (Photo by Marv Watson/Riot Games)
In a media briefing with The Esports Advocate, a Riot Games rep. told us that the 2025 League of Legends Esports calendar will have some wiggle room to facilitate third-party events that teams within the ecosystems want to participate in such as the Saudi Arabian government-backed Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While we asked specifically about making space on the competitive calendar for the annual event in Riyadh, Riot only referred to “third-party events” in our conversation.
The spokesperson noted that there is a space in the calendar next year following the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), which would allow teams interested in participating in the Saudi-run event or any other third-party events, if they wish. As far as we know, Riot will continue to take a hands-off approach to events run by third parties (in terms of organization), though we assume they are taking some sort of licensing fee for any competitions run by third parties.
As you may know, Teamfight Tactics and League of Legends will have a presence at this year’s event, but because of the schedule, TFT will be played at the tail end of it in August. The Riot rep. noted that there is a space in August for League of Legends following the completion of MSI next year.
Earlier this month, TEA reported that Valorant did not make it to the Esports World Cup due to scheduling conflicts. In that report, sources noted that Riot has a one-year contract with the Esports World Cup Foundation and will make a decision based on how those games are received by the public and perform on the international stage. As of this writing, no decision has been made one way or the other on Valorant, League of Legends, or Teamfight Tactics being a part of the Esports World Cup in 2025 or beyond.
Riot announced its participation in the Esports World Cup at the end of March, revealing that its popular autobattler title Teamfight Tactics and its MOBA title League of Legends would have a presence at the eight-week event, which kicks off in July. The Esports World Cup Foundation announced the teams from the LPL, LCK, LEC, and LCS that would be taking part in the event at the end of March: representing LCS are FlyQuest and Team Liquid; for LEC, G2 Esports and Fnatic; for LPL, Bilibili Gaming and Top Esports; and for LCK, Gen.G Esports and T1. These teams earned the right to participate in the Esports World Cup by winning or placing second in their respective league’s Spring Finals (LCS Spring 2024, LEC Spring 2024, LPL Spring 2024, and LCK Spring 2024).
The Esports World Cup is funded by a grant from the Saudi Arabian government, according to the Esports World Cup Foundation. Competitions are being facilitated by ESL FACEIT Group, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Savvy Games Group–in turn, owned by the Saudi government-run Public Investment Fund. EFG is home to tournament organizer ESL, competition platform FACEIT, and esports and gaming festival company DreamHack.
Learn more about the other changes coming to League of Legends Esports in 2025:
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