Game developer and publisher Riot Games has announced the 2025 edition of the League of Legends World Championship will feature a $5m (~£3.8m) prize pool.
The news was revealed by Chris Greeley, Global Head of LoL Esports, in an interview with Daily Esports ahead of the inaugural First Stand competition.
Regarded as one of the biggest esports competitions in the world, Worlds is the season-ending tournament for the League of Legends season. The $5m prize pool is a significant increase from 2024’s World Championship which was $2.25m (~£1.7m).
“I want LoL esports to become an esport that embraces various generations,” says Greeley. “I’m satisfied with the path we’ve walked on for the past 15 years and I’m looking forward to the future. I hope it becomes an esport that we can look forward to 30 years from now.”
Alongside the huge prize pool for this year’s Worlds, Greeley also revealed the implementation of the Fearless Draft system has received positive feedback after debuting during First Stand. It’s expected the system will continue to feature in international tournaments for the remainder of 2025.
An increase in prize money comes as no surprise following a hugely successful 2024 World Championship. The event became the most-watched esports event in history, with 6.8 million people tuning into the Grand Final between Bilibili Gaming and T1.
2025 is shaping up to be a big year for Riot Games and its League of Legends esports circuit. In February, it partnered with the Esports World Cup Foundation to bring its MOBA title to the Esports World Cup alongside VALORANT and Teamfight Tactics to the multi-title event taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Outside of its esports plans, Riot Games is preparing for the launch of Project K, a League of Legends trading card game. In February, it named UVS Games as the official publishing and distribution partner for the game expected to release in 2026.
