After weeks of speculation, Riot Games has
finally announced the host cities for all 2025 international
League of Legends esports events in their latest dev update, commemorating the start of Season 15: Welcome to Noxus! Alongside these reveals, Riot provided teasers for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, unveiling the host regions for the next two editions of each international event following this year’s First Stand, Mid-Season Invitational, and Worlds.
First Stand
First Stand, the kickoff event for the 2025 League of Legends season, will be held in Seoul, South Korea, at LoL Park—the studio where the LCK is regularly hosted. Scheduled to take place from March 10-16th, 2025, the week-long event will feature a smaller venue, setting the tone for this new event series. While LoL Park isn’t as small as the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, its 450-seat capacity means only a limited crowd will get to attend this short but fast-paced event.
Alongside this announcement, Riot revealed that the next two First Stand editions will take place in Brazil in 2026 and Southeast Asia in 2027, signaling a push to give smaller regions more representation in the coming years. Meanwhile, MSI and Worlds will remain exclusive to major regions. Fans are already speculating about the 2027 First Stand location, with many hoping to see Vietnam represented—a country with a massive fanbase that hasn’t hosted an event since the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational.
First Stand, the first international event of the year.
Mid-Season Invitational
The 2025 Mid-Season Invitational will return to Canada, hosted between
June 27th and July 12th, marking the country's first LoL Esports event since the 2017 Spring Finals in Vancouver. Although Canada was set to host the Worlds 2022 Semifinals in Toronto, visa issues forced a relocation. Now,
MSI 2025 is heading back to Vancouver, sparking discussions among fans. Many expected Toronto to host, especially with Riot’s
VALORANT Masters Toronto 2025 taking place just days earlier. While some are disappointed, Vancouver has already proven itself as an excellent host for Riot events.
Among this news, Riot also announced that the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational will return to South Korea, while the 2027 edition will head back to Europe, continuing the cycle Riot has followed in recent years.
The World Championship
Finally, although Chengdu had already been revealed as the host city for the Worlds 2025 finals, Riot Games has now finalized the other host cities for this year's roadshow. The Play-In and Swiss Stages will be held in Beijing, while the Quarterfinals and Semifinals will take place in Shanghai. According to Riot's API, Worlds is expected to run from October 12th to November 15th, though these dates are subject to change.
Looking ahead, Worlds will return to North America in 2026, and the 2027 edition will once again be hosted in South Korea, the country with the most trophies to date.
The MSI 2024 trophy. Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Header Photo Credit: Riot Games
