LoL Esports World Cup teams will basically be another MSI

Eight of the best League of Legends teams will participate in the Esports World Cup LoL tournament in July.

After Riot Games announced that LoL teams would be allowed to participate in the Esports World Cup, the imminent question was which ones would earn a spot in this major event. As Riot is not part of the organizers of the EWC, the company had no say in the final selection. This is a major break from the norm, as Riot is usually in complete control of LoL esports.

Now, eight teams will battle in the biggest third-party League of Legends tournament of all time.

Which teams are attending the Esports World Cup LoL tournament?

The organizers of the Esports World Cup LoL tournament decided to invite the two best teams from the four major regions. More specifically, the teams that finished 1st and 2nd during the 2024 Spring Split.

• Bilibili Gaming
• Flyquest
• Fnatic
• G2 Esports
• Gen.G
• T1
• Team Liquid
• Top Esports

The European LEC will be represented by G2 and Fnatic, which clashed in the Spring Finals. Flyquest and Team Liquid will represent the LCS. Bilibili Gaming and Top Esports will represent the Chinese LPL and the Korean LCK will send in the World Champions T1 and the MSI champions Gen.G.

This selection features eight of the 12 teams that participated in the Mid-Season Invitational in May. This guarantees that the level of the Esports World Cup will be on par with the biggest annual LoL competitions.

Esports World Cup first LoL event not organized by Riot in seven years

The Esports World Cup LoL tournament marks a historical step forward as it will be the first competition not organized by Riot since 2017. While it is not an official LoL Esports event, the developer has adjusted the regular competitive calendar to allow teams to participate.

In the official announcement for the new LoL MENA server in March, Riot recognized the opportunities that the EWC presents to both organizations and fans worldwide. The company acknowledged the financial issues of teams around the world and complimented the efforts of the organizers to help teams overcome these struggles.

The Esports World Cup is the successor of the previous Saudi Arabia-backed festival Gamers8. With a total prize pool of $60 million, the EWC will feature 20 tournaments across eight weeks between June and August.

While the EWC LoL tournament will be the smallest event in terms of the number of participants, it will be one of the main attractions during the festival. Depending on viewership performance, the 2025 edition may feature more teams from other regions. For now, fans will have to settle for these eight teams in a race for the $400,000 grand prize.