League of Legends has been around for a long time, especially for a video game, and as such as the competitive scene has grown so has the level of competition and the prize money. In 2022 this year's world tournament is taking place in Toronto, Mexico City, San Francisco and Atlanta, featuring teams from all the major regions: China, Korea, Europe, North America and Latin America. There is a lot at stake: personal reputations, the ongoing rivalry between China and South Korea, and the sum total of $2,225,000 USD prize money.
Faker, arguably the greatest League of Legends player of all time, looks to return to winning ways and recapture the Summoner cup on North American soil, whilst his Korean rival and current winner of the LCK 2022 season, Generation Gaming, look to cement their spot as the top tier Korean team this year. China, the region that boasts some of the world's best players, and who also won last year's World Tournament, looks to recapture their dominance with Edward Gaming – the current defending world champions.
Europe looks to recapture some of its brilliance in past years with Fnatic, G2 and Rogue gaming, who all seek to leave their mark on the international scene and hope to bring back the Summoner’s Cup to Europe after Fnatic’s last world title in 2011 in Season 1. 11 seasons and a decade later, and Fnatic are looking to reclaim glory and define the next era of Esports for European teams. G2 Esports is looking to overcome adversity this year at Worlds with the departure of their CEO Carlos Rodriguez, who was linked to one of the internet’s most hated men, Andrew Tate. With this controversy still hanging over the organisation, G2 will need to band together under strong leadership if they’re to overcome the trials that await them.
North America has fan favourites Cloud 9 and 100Thieves who are looking to finally buck the trend of North America historically doing poorly at large-scale international events. Despite having a loyal and dedicated fan base, North America has yet to see major international success from its teams. But with every year there is always a renewed surge of optimism and energy that one day North America could have its champions.
There are also wildcard teams which represent Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam who are largely unknown and untested against the larger organisations. If one of these smaller teams is able to pull off the impossible, then it could disrupt the whole world of League of Legends Esports. There are so many unknown variables that could affect what teams make it through to the knockout stages. Only one thing is certain. It will all be settled on the Summoner’s rift.
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