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The season draws to a close with the 2026 Worlds final. For 2027, Riot Games is planning a new international tournament calendar, with the World Championship taking place in Japan for the first time. Also for the
For days now, the term “League of Legends 2.0” has been doing the rounds online. But until now, nobody really knew what lay behind it. Is LoL getting an official successor, or does Riot Games have something completely different in mind? Ahead of the World Championship final, the developer let the cat out of the bag, revealing what it’s all about and what’s planned for the 2027 international season.
Let’s stick with Worlds for now. Next year, the tournament returns to South Korea and will also make its first-ever stop in Japan. Riot Games has chosen Nagoya as the venue for the Swiss Stage. The knockout stage will then move to South Korea. The final will take place at the new Seoul Arena.
There could also be some changes to the format. Riot Games is considering whether the Demacia Cup will replace the current Play-In Stage. A final decision has yet to be made. However, the hosts for the other two international tournaments have been confirmed: First Stand: All In will be held in China in 2027, whilst the MSI is returning to Europe and will take place in Valencia, Spain.
Riot Games is expanding First Stand for 2027 on a one-off basis to include additional teams and has announced that this edition will be the biggest LoL tournament to date. Details regarding the format and qualification process are set to be revealed in January.
A peek at where we’re headed for 2027 https://t.co/Wqem6t48pn
— League of Legends @ Worlds 2026 (@LeagueOfLegends) 14 November 2026
League Next becomes League of Legends: New Dawn
Rumours of a possible successor to League of Legends were already circulating as early as November 2025. A month later, Bloomberg reported that Riot Games was working on a comprehensive overhaul of the existing game under the internal name ‘League Next’. At the Worlds 2026 final, Riot unveiled the update as ‘League of Legends: New Dawn’. It is due to be released in 2027.
In addition to a modernised client featuring a new champion selection screen, the Summoner’s Rift will also be given a new look. The trailer shows a redesigned jungle, new models for minions and neutral monsters, as well as a revamped version of Blitzcrank. One scene suggests that the terrain may change during a match. What triggers these changes remains to be seen. The Dragon Pit also appears to be accessible from two sides in the trailer.
With this revamp, Riot aims to reach a broad player base, from fans of ranked mode to those who primarily play ARAM. Riot has so far left open how the changes will affect esports.
