Hi, I’m Naz Aletaha, Global Head of LoL Esports, and welcome to the 2022 Season. Pro players around the world are busy preparing for another exciting year of competition. And we’re coming off of a pretty incredible ride together in 2021.
We saw some fresh faces assert their dominance in the spring and stages with 100 Thieves winning their first LCS trophy and MAD Lions starting a wild run with their LEC win in the Spring. It wasn’t all new defending champions, though–EDG, DK, and PSG Talon also came out on top in their leagues, while teams like Red Canids Kalunga,
Galatasaray and PEACE made their Worlds debut. After a covid-related hiatus in 2020, last year’s MSI was our most successful one to date, with RNG’s triumph over DK hitting a record-breaking MSI peak viewership of over 23 million. We missed you, MSI. Welcome back. And of course, we culminated the season with another unforgettable world.
We got to see legends rise, rookies make their marks, and the greatest of our sport remind us of why they are just that. The fact that we got to hear Silver Scrapes four times in the Knockout Stage says it all. The finale between 2020 World Champions DAMWON KIA and Edward Gaming will no doubt go down in LoL Esports history as one of the most epic showdowns.
EDG’s phenomenal win was celebrated by millions in China and around the world. I’m excited and humbled to report that, for the 10th year in a row, we beat our viewership record for Worlds. You, our community, fuel LoL Esports, and we cannot thank you enough for your energy, your insights, and your passion as we collectively continue to grow this sport we love.
Now let’s talk about our 12th Season! After a VERY exciting offseason, rosters are set. Hundred-plus teams around the world are gearing up and our 12 regional leagues are ready to kick things off. To get ready for the first split of 2022, we sat down with 5 pros from around the world to find out what they’re each aiming to accomplish this season.
The full series will be released soon, but we have a sneak peek for you today. Let’s take a look. They earned their spot to be here. All of that practice, all of those scrims. They are immediately my favorites for the title already. We got a banger to start ourselves off! In the end, it was themselves they had to overcome, their own mistakes, their own demons.
And finally, we are thrilled to have North America host Worlds this year. We’re getting ready for a true continental tour as we head to Mexico City, then onto New York City, Toronto, and finally, land in San Francisco for the Finals. We’ll have more to share in the coming months, so stay tuned. That’s the latest for LoL Esports. Matches kick off next weekend. The hype is real, and we thank all the fans, pros, teams, and partners for joining us for what will undoubtedly be another amazing season.