LAN Tournaments Are Slowly Returning

In early 2020, the entire sports and esports world went into hibernation amidst global restrictions on movements that saw LAN tournaments cancelled or postponed. Over time, many online tournaments filled the gap which has put a strong spotlight on esports that has enticed new fans at a time when live sporting events have been curtailed.

The growing popularity of online LAN events is expected to lead to larger audiences for LAN tournaments that are slowly returning as live events. Some LAN events have previously taken place at casinos, but with the success of online sites like Diamond Reels Casino visitors to LAN tournaments will be able to enjoy casino games wherever they are. In the meantime, these are some of the dates already confirmed which confirm that LAN tournaments are slowly returning.

League Championship Series Summer 2021

The final of the League Championship Series (LCS) is returning to the live stage with the top eight teams from North America's professional League of Legends league competing to be in the top three qualifying teams. 100 Thieves, Cloud9 and TSM are the favourites competing for a place in the Worlds 2021.

Riot Games, responsible for LCS Championship 2021, has overseen a two-split season after the introduction of a new format in January 2021. The live audience event will take place at the 19,500-seat Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, with the LCS Fan Fest outside the arena. The Championship will also be streamed live on the LCS' official Twitch and YouTube channels on 7-29 August 2021.

The Dota 2 International 2021

The biggest Dota 2 event was for the first time last year due to the coronavirus. The community-raised prize of over S40 million was kept and teams in 2021 will be competing for it between August 5-15. (Credit: Valve Corporation)

The International 10 is the final tournament of the Dota Pro Circuit that is being held in Europe for the first time in a decade. A points system has decided the 12 teams invited to the International which was initially due to be held in Sweden in August 2021 after it was originally due to take place in August 2020.

With ongoing issues around hosting the event in Sweden, Valve announced the tournament will take place from 7-17 October in Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania. The group stages will take place over the first four days, with the main event running for the last six days.

Valorant Stage 3 Masters Berlin

Valorant Stage 2 Masters Reykjavik was a huge success and Riot Games will be hosting the Stage 3 Masters event in Berlin. Sixteen of the world’s best Valorant teams are due to gather at Verti Music Hall in Berlin, Germany between 9 – 19 September. Each team will be competing for points to count towards qualification at Valorant Champions, the final event of the 2021 Valorant Championship Tour. All matches from the Masters Berlin will be live broadcast globally on digital platforms.

Valorant Champions

Valorant’s competitive year will conclude at the end of 2021. With the top 16 qualifying teams fighting it out to be champions in a live event due to begin on 29 November with the final on 12 December. 

The 2021 League of Legends World Championship 2021

Riot Games has announced that the 2021 League of Legends World Championship will be held at the 60,000-seater Universiade Sports Centre, in Shenzhen, China with the finals taking place on 6 November. Details of the tournament’s early rounds have not yet been announced.