Riot Games previously announced that the League of Legends World Championships would be moving out of China for 2021 and into Europe. It seems now that the country of choice will be Iceland.
Following a report from Upcomer, Riot confirmed its decision to move the League Worlds out of China, citing concerns with the COVID-19 Delta Variant. The Championships were initially planned to be a multi-city event, with stages being held across Shanghai, Qingdao, Wuhan, Chengdu and Shenzhen. The travel restrictions set in place as a response to the pandemic had complicated the logistics of the event, meaning Riot were unable to confirm that all qualifying teams could attend.
#Worlds2021 Update from John Needham.
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) August 24, 2021
League of Legends Worlds 2021 Reportedly Moving to Iceland
By moving the event to Europe, Riot believes that it will be able to comply with all necessary travel protocols.
According to a report by Dot Esports, the League of Legends World Championships will be taking place in Reykjavik, Iceland. The country had previously hosted the Mid-Season Invitational, which took place earlier this year. Riot has already proved that it can safely run an event from Iceland, so it wouldn't be unexpected for them to return for the Worlds.
It is unclear if the event will take place with a live audience, but it is likely that it will operating in a similar fashion to the previous tournaments to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.
Riot Games has not yet officially confirmed the hosting country, leaving it out of their venue change announcement for the time being. According to the report, it is likely that Riot will reveal more information in the coming week.
