The 2024 League of Legends World Championship is here, continuing its trend of breaking esports viewership records year after year. Each edition draws more fans, and this year is no different. Before diving into our detailed coverage of the event, Esports Charts has compiled viewership stats from all past World Championships, showcasing the teams that have attracted the most viewers throughout the series.
Naturally, no list of Worlds viewership would be complete without T1 leading the pack. This legendary South Korean team, with their iconic player Faker, has a massive global fanbase. During last year’s Worlds, T1 delivered an incredible performance, attracting 2.95 million average viewers worldwide as they powered through the playoffs. Should T1 replicate this dominance, they could exceed 3 million concurrent viewers this year, pushing the tournament to yet another viewership milestone.
Following T1, Dplus takes second place in viewership. At the 2021 World Championship, they ousted T1 in a thrilling semifinal. Their matchups against T1, MAD Lions, and EDward Gaming during the grand final helped Dplus become the most-watched team of that tournament. Matches against powerhouse teams and reaching the final as a Korean representative ensured they drew in large audiences. Beyond these two Korean teams, the middle of the ranking is largely filled by Chinese organizations.
2023
In 2023, JD Gaming and Weibo Gaming both qualified for playoffs through the Swiss Stage, though they took different paths. JD Gaming went 3-0, earning a tied-first seed, while Weibo Gaming battled through with a 3-2 record for a tied-sixth seed. JD Gaming entered as favorites but were knocked out by T1, while Weibo Gaming surprised everyone by reaching the finals. Despite losing to T1 0-3, both teams generated massive international viewership due to their impressive performances.
It’s important to note that these viewership figures exclude data from Chinese streaming platforms, which are considered unreliable. However, Chinese teams like FunPlus Phoenix, EDward Gaming, and Suning Gaming still managed to attract millions of viewers internationally. DRX also recorded 1.56 million average viewers after winning the 2022 championship, and G2 Esports hit 1.9 million viewers during their second-place run at Worlds 2019.
Lastly, Gen.G rounds out the ranking with 1.53 million viewers at Worlds 2023. Despite a strong 3-0 showing in the Swiss Stage, defeating teams like T1 and G2 Esports, Gen.G was eliminated in their first playoff match against Bilibili Gaming. Even with an early exit, their perceived strength throughout the event made their run one of the most-watched in Worlds history.