Riot China and Tencent announce details for Worlds 2020

On August 24, Riot China (vie CEO Leo Lin) and Tencent revealed the details for the 2020 League of Legends World Championship at the Tencent Global Esports Summit.

The tournament will start with the Play-in stage on September 25, and the Group Stage will commence on October 3. The quarterfinals round will follow October 15-18, semifinals on October 24-25, and the grand finals will be held October 31.

Worlds 2020 schedule

Play-in stage — September 25
Group stage — October 3
Quarterfinals — October 15-18
Semifinals — October 24-25
Grand finals — October 31

With the announcement, Leo Lin said:

“We prepared the competition with many different specialists including the best medical team and disinfection team. There will be specific manuals and regulations for safety”, and emphasized that they will be holding this tournament as safe as possible. He also expressed determination to hold the 2021 World Championship successfully, which will be held again in China.

The faith of Worlds 2020 has been uncertain for most of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though Shanghai's local government kept assuring fans that the tournament will indeed happen. Still, the tournament won't proceed without schedule changes and instead of travelling around China, Worlds 2020 will be held entirely in Shanghai.

Meanwhile, the major regions have already started seeding their representatives for the World Championship, as playoffs season has begun in the LEC, LCS, and LPL, while LCK playoffs begin this weekend, August 26.