The League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) final will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. Korea's Gen.G and China's Bilibili Gaming (BLG) will meet in a best-of-five series. It will be the first Worlds final held on the U.S. East Coast.
The final of the League of Legends World Championship, known as "Worlds," the largest esports tournament in the world, is coming to New York. On Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Korea's Gen.G and China's Bilibili Gaming (BLG) will compete for the Summoner's Cup in a best-of-five series. In the 16th edition of Worlds, this is the first time the final will be held on the U.S. East Coast.
At a Glance
Gen.G Chases First Title in Nine Years
Gen.G entered the tournament as this year's champion of Korea's league (LCK). It went 3-0 through the Swiss stage and beat China's Invictus Gaming (IG) 3-0 in the semifinals in Allen, Texas. If Gen.G wins, it will be the team's first title in nine years, since its predecessor, Samsung Galaxy, won in 2017. For mid laner Jeong Ji-hoon, known as "Chovy," it is a first shot at a Worlds title.
BLG Arrives After Beating T1
BLG reached the final by beating Dplus KIA 3-0 in the quarterfinals and three-time defending champion T1 3-1 in the semifinals, winning three straight games after dropping the first. The loss ended the bid of T1, led by Lee Sang-hyeok, known as "Faker," for a fourth consecutive title. T1 had won 13 straight best-of series against Chinese teams at Worlds since the 2013 final, but that streak has now ended.
BLG lost to T1 2-3 in the 2024 final and finished as runner-up. Two players from that roster, "Knight" and "Bin," will take the final stage again. The team's bot laner is Korean player Park Do-hyeon, known as "Viper." If BLG wins, it will be the club's first Worlds title.
Fifth Straight for Korea, or China's First in Five Years?
Korean teams have won each of the past four Worlds. DRX won in 2022, followed by T1 in three straight titles starting in 2023. If Gen.G wins, Korea's league extends its streak to five years; if BLG wins, China's league will reclaim the trophy for the first time since EDward Gaming in 2021, five years ago.
New York and Worlds
This is the third time Worlds matches have been played in New York. In 2016, the semifinals took place at Madison Square Garden, and in 2022, the group stage and quarterfinals were held at the theater inside Madison Square Garden. This is the first time the final comes to the city. Earlier finals in North America were all held on the West Coast, including in Los Angeles (2012, 2013 and 2016) and San Francisco (2022). This year's tournament held the play-ins, the qualifying round, in Los Angeles, the Swiss stage, quarterfinals and semifinals in Allen, Texas, and will close in New York.
An opening ceremony will precede the final. A performance is scheduled by the virtual group True Damage, who performed this year's tournament anthem, "Know My Name." Korean singer Jeon So-yeon, Coco Jones, Big Mensa and Sofia Reyes took part.
Getting There
Barclays Center sits directly above the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center subway station, served by the 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q and R trains. The Long Island Rail Road's Atlantic Terminal is also across the street. From New Jersey, take PATH to the World Trade Center station, then transfer to the 2, 3, 4 or 5 train at Fulton Street. Parking is limited, so public transportation is the better option.