League of Legends: where is the LCK being played?

Founded in 2012, the League of Legends Champions Korea, most commonly shortened as LCK and previously known as the "League of Legends Champions", stands as one of the premier esports events in South Korea. With over a decade of history, it hosts since its creation some of the very best teams in the World, as the Korean region has always been the most entitled on the international scene.

The LCK is being played at LoL Park in Seoul since September 2018. The arena is located on the 3rd floor of the Gran Seoul Building and hosts ten best-of-three matches per week of competition. The arena spans 18 000 square meters and can accommodate over 500 spectators who come to watch matches live. The stage has a unique circular design, improving the view for visitors and placing the players in a setting reminiscent of the Colosseum.

The experience for visitors extends beyond just the games; surrounding the arena are various shops, including the Riot Store, an exhibition in honor of LCK's players and teams, a few restaurants, a coffee shop, and even Riot Games' own PC Bang (which contains around 100 computers), enhancing the overall experience. Fun fact, the Arena also hosted Worlds Play-In stage in 2018 right after its opening and again in 2023, the year Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok won his first ever Worlds title at home.

The LCK has a rich tradition of hosting roadshows to different regions of South Korea and consistently to a way larger crowd. We can remember the Spring 2024 season at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, Finals in Busan held in 2018, as well as the 2022 Summer Playoffs in Gangwon-do, which all attracted around 15 000 passionate spectators. These events are milestone of a tradition to celebrate their immense esports culture.

In 2024, T1 hosted the very first official LCK match outside of Riot's LoL Park. The series took place at the Goyang Sono Arena in front of 6 200 fans as a part of the team's festival (T1 Home Ground) and saw the Telecom War derby against KT Rolster occur both in LCK and LCK CL. T1 fully handled the event production while the LCK oversaw competitive integrity, including providing official referees.

Previously, Korean teams battled at the Nexon Arena and the Seoul OGN e-stadium, well known arena that also hosted other esports events such as Hearthstone Masters Korea, Overwatch or Heroes of the Storm. It had overall a wider capacity but Riot decided to build its own arena as they looked for independence and OGN saw their lease contract expiring in late 2018.

All LCK games are usually broadcasted on their dedicated livestream on Twitch and Youtube.