League of Legends World Championship will return to United States in 2026

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During the media day ahead of the Worlds 2025 Grand Final between T1 and KT Rolster, some exciting news has come out for fans of League of Legends esports. Riot Games announced on Friday, November 7, that the World Championship 2026 will be held across two cities in the United States. The company also shared some details on other international competitions scheduled for next year, Mid-Season Invitational & First Stand.

This marks the return of the most prestigious competition on the game's esports circuit to North America for the first time since 2022. It will also be the first time in three years that the tournament will take place across two cities (outside of COVID-19 pandemic years), a departure from the common practice of using three venues for the LoL Worlds series.

Chris Greeley, the Global Head of League of Legends Esports at Riot Games, stated that the organizer opted to visit only two cities for the Worlds next year to prioritize a larger venue capable of hosting more stages of the event.

Just a couple of days before the finals of its biggest event of the year, Riot Games revealed that the Play-In, Swiss Stage, and Playoffs of next year's season-ending tournament will be held in Allen, Texas. New York City, meanwhile, will host the Grand Final.

Riot Games also unveiled details on the second edition of First Stand, which will continue to serve as the first international tournament of the season after debuting earlier this year. This event will be held from March 16 to 22 in São Paulo, Brazil, with the number of participants going up from six to eight and all matches set to be best-of-five.

Lastly, the second global League of Legends competition will head back to South Korea for the first time since 2022. The Mid-Season Invitational 2026 will be held in Daejeon, although the venue and dates remain unannounced.

The 2025 LoL World Championship Grand Final will see a return of the famed 'telecom wars' as T1 and KT Rolster will battle for the ultimate prize in the title and a large share of the $5 million prize pool. Esports Charts will cover the event and continue to provide updates, which readers can follow on the official page.

Also read: T1 vs KT Rolster — The legendary telecom war returns for the 2025 Worlds Grand Final