The 2015 League of Legends World Championship was the fifth annual international tournament organized by Riot Games for the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game League of Legends. The event took place from 26 September to 31 October 2015 and featured teams that qualified through regional leagues and playoffs across the game's six primary competitive regions: North America (NA LCS), Europe (EU LCS), Korea (LCK), China (LPL), Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau (LMS), and Southeast Asia (GPL).
Venue and Schedule
- Group Stage: Held at the Ineos Arena (formerly known as the O2 Arena) in London, United Kingdom.
- Knockout Stage: Conducted at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany.
- The grand final was played on 31 October 2015 at the Berlin venue.
Format
- Group Stage: Six groups of four teams each (24 teams total). Teams played a double round‑robin within their groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing.
- Playoffs: A single‑elimination bracket of 16 teams (Best‑of‑5 matches) culminating in the grand final, also Best‑of‑5.
Participating Teams
Notable qualified teams included:
- SK Telecom T1 (South Korea) – LCK Spring and Summer champions
- KOO Tigers (South Korea) – LCK Summer runner‑up
- Fnatic (Europe) – EU LCS Summer champions
- Orion (North America) – NA LCS Summer champions
- EDward Gaming (China) – LPL Summer champions
- ahq eSports Club (Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau) – LMS Summer champions
Results
- Champion: SK Telecom T1 defeated KOO Tigers 3–1 in the grand final, securing their second consecutive World Championship title.
- Runner‑up: KOO Tigers (now known as Samsung Galaxy)
- Third Place: Fnatic defeated EDward Gaming 3–2 in the third‑place match.
Key Highlights
- The tournament featured a record‑breaking viewership, with the grand final peaking at over 30 million concurrent viewers on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube.
- SK Telecom T1’s mid laner, Lee “Faker” Sang‑hyeok, was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the finals.
- The event introduced the "Worlds 2015" theme song “Legends Never Die” performed by Against the Current, which became closely associated with the championship’s branding.
Prize Pool
The guaranteed prize pool was US $2,130,000, distributed among the participating teams based on final placement, with SK Telecom T1 receiving the largest share for winning the championship.
Legacy
The 2015 World Championship is frequently cited as a milestone in esports due to its global stage production, high competitive standards, and significant audience growth, contributing to the continued expansion of League of Legends as a premier esports title.
