Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, has budgeted roughly $1 million to host the finals of the 2027 League of Legends World Championship (Worlds 2027) as the city enters final talks with the game’s developer, Riot Games.
According to a South Korean media outlet, Jeonnam Ilbo, Seoul has been named the preferred host city for the finals, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet. The report also highlighted that the Seoul Metropolitan Government has added 1.369 billion South Korean won, which comes to about $1 million, to its 2027 budget.
The money falls under a project meant for hosting global gaming events. It will mainly cover the 2027 LoL World finals and related fan activities, including venue rentals, help with accommodation for participants and visitors, and a fan festival with game demos and live performances. A similar deal was also seen recently in Las Vegas, where the government entity LVCVA held a board meeting to approve a $2 million budget for hosting a BLAST Tier 1 Counter-Strike 2 tournament.
While South Korea is already confirmed to host the entire 2027 tournament, where the later matches will be played is still undecided. Earlier in 2026, the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA), working with Riot Games, opened a bidding process for cities that wanted to host the knockout stage, which includes the quarterfinals, semifinals and grand final. Seoul came out of that process as the leading candidate. Several venues are being discussed in Seoul. One is the Gocheok Sky Dome, which hosted the 2023 finals, and others include large arenas that can hold at least 10,000 spectators.
No official closing date has been announced for the deal between Riot Games and the Seoul city government. Based on how past World Championships hosts were announced, usually eight to twelve months or more before the event, the agreement could be reached between late November 2026 and early January 2027.
That is an estimate rather than a confirmed schedule, and an official announcement from Riot Games or Seoul will be the clearest indication that the deal is finalised. If confirmed, 2027 would mark the fourth time Seoul has hosted matches at the LoL World Championship, with the recent event being in 2023.
Since the 2023 final in Seoul, the tournament has been held outside South Korea. The 2025 edition took place in China, where T1 emerged victorious, prompting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to officially congratulate the team. The 2026 championship is currently underway in the United States, with matches spread across cities in Texas and New York. If Seoul’s bid is confirmed, the finals would return to the capital city after a four-year gap.
