Riot Games has announced a massive increase in the prize pool for the League of Legends World Championship 2025, setting it at $5 million. This represents more than double the $2.225 million offered in 2024.
Chris Greeley, Global Head of League of Legends Esports, revealed this news during an interview on March 16th ahead of the First Stand Tournament finals in Seoul. He also mentioned that additional bonuses from digital merchandise sales could push the total prize money even higher.
“The goal of LoL esports is not to become a profitable esports. We are focused on building a sustainable ecosystem,” Greeley explained. This approach reflects Riot’s long-term vision for the game’s competitive scene, with Greeley expressing hopes for “the kind of esports that we can look forward to 30 years from now.”
The World Championship, commonly known as “Worlds,” stands as the most prestigious event in the League of Legends competitive calendar. Last year’s tournament made history when it became the most-watched esports event ever, drawing 6.94 million viewers for the Grand Final between Bilibili Gaming and the eventual champion, T1.
While announcing the increased prize pool, Riot also revealed some format changes for Worlds 2025. The tournament will now feature 17 teams, down from the previous 20. The championship will take place throughout October and November in China.
Before Worlds, fans can look forward to the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), scheduled for June 27th to July 12th in Vancouver, Canada. As per Greeley, MSI will offer a $2 million prize pool, almost a 10x increase from last year’s $250,000.
The first international event of 2025, the First Stand Tournament, concluded last weekend with a $1 million prize pool. This newly introduced competition featured Riot’s experimental “Fearless Draft” format, which received positive feedback from players and teams.
“We had a lot of internal conversations, communicating with players, professional games and local leagues, and gathered feedback. Everyone had a positive response,” Greeley said about the Fearless Draft format, confirming it will continue to be used in upcoming tournaments.
Riot’s commitment to developing talent was also highlighted, with Greeley mentioning various regional initiatives like “Roll the Next” in Korea, “Scouting Ground” in North America, and prospect-finding events in Europe.
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