2022 League of Legends World Championship
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship was an esports tournament for the multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends. It was the twelfth iteration of the League of Legends World Championship, an annual international tournament organized by the game's developer, Riot Games. The tournament was held from September 29 to November 5 in Mexico and the United States. Twenty-four teams from 11 regions qualified for the tournament based on their placement in regional circuits such as those in China, Europe, North America, South Korea, Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau/Southeast Asia and Vietnam, with twelve of those teams having to reach the main event via a play-in stage.
| 2022 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | League of Legends |
| Location | Mexico United States |
| Dates | September 29–November 5 |
| Administrator | Riot Games |
Tournament format(s) | 12 team single round-robin play-in stage 16 team double round-robin group stage 8 team single-elimination bracket |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 4 host cities)
|
| Teams | 24 |
| Final positions | |
| Champion | DRX |
| Runner-up | T1 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Attendance | 18,000 (Finals) |
| MVP | Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon (DRX) |
On August 29, Riot Games announced and revealed the new Summoner's Cup that would be awarded to the winner of the finals. "Star Walkin'" was announced as the tournament's theme song, performed by Lil Nas X.
DRX won the tournament after defeating T1 3–2 in a close final series. This was the first international title won by DRX, as well as the first by a play-in team. DRX's advance to the finals was widely described by commentators as a Cinderella run. DRX was considered an underdog team, having barely qualified for the tournament as South Korea's final seed, and having been pitted against a number of tournament favorites, including defending world champions Edward Gaming.