One tournament has drawn significantly more attention than any other at the start of the 2025
League of Legends season.
According to Esports Charts dataāwhich excludes LPL figuresāthe
LCK Cupās peak viewership is nearly 3.5 times higher than that of the second most-watched competition this winter. The Korean championship reached a peak of 1,907,634 viewers during the Round 1 playoff match between Hanwha Life Esports and T1, in which
HLE eliminated the two-time reigning world champions after a thrilling BO5 showdown.
This match also marked the first encounter between the two teams
since the toplaner swap, with Choi "Zeus" Woo-je joining HLE and Choi "Doran" Hyeon-jun now playing for T1. According to Esports Charts, this also makes the LCK Cup the second most-watched tournament in the history of the championship, surpassed only by the Spring Split 2024.
Viewership Comparison. Credit: Esports Charts/Sheep Esports
Trailing behind, the LEC upper bracket final
between G2 Esports and Karmine Corp attracted a peak of "only
" 595,983 viewers. While this number remains subject to change as the split is still ongoing, it already far exceeds
the peak viewership of the LTA Cross Conference. The American league completes the podium with a peak of 291,301 viewers, reached during Cloud9ās quarterfinal victory over LOUD. Meanwhile, the LPC recorded its Split 1 peak viewership at 261,090 during the semifinal between Vikings Esports and CTBC Flying Oyster.
LTANās Split 1 peak was lower than that of the NLC
When examined separately, however, the two American regions fall even further down the rankings. LTA South reached a peak of 254,464 viewers during the match between paiN Gaming and LOUD, while LTA North lagged with just 149,876 viewers for the showdown between FlyQuest and Shopify Rebellion. In fact, LTANās Split 1 peak was lower than that of the NLC. The arrival of several former LEC figures in the Nordic league has fueled considerable excitement, culminating in a peak of 214,508 viewers for the upper bracket final between NORD Esports and Los Ratones, the team led by Marc āCaedrelā Lamont and featuring Martin "Rekkles" Larsson.
This figure, too, remains subject to change, as the Nordic leagueās grand final, featuring Los Ratones, is set to take place on March 2. Historically the most followed ERLālargely due to Karmine Corpās presenceāthe LFL has not yet cracked the top rankings. The French league reached peak viewership figures of
234,102 in Spring 2024 and 135,508 in Summer 2024, but has so far only peaked at 111,156 during the group stage match between KC and Gentle Mates. As with the LEC and NLC, these numbers could still rise, as two matches remain, including the grand final, which will feature Karmine.
Header Photo Credit: LCK/Riot Games