The League of Legends World Championship, often simply called “Worlds”, is the premier annual tournament in LoL esports. Since its inception in 2011, Worlds has crowned a new world champion team each year.
This guide will walk through every World Championship winner year by year, along with all dominant regions.
Overview of the LoL World Championship
The League of Legends World Championship is an international tournament held every year between late September and early November. It was established in 2011 by Riot Games as the ultimate competition to determine the best LoL team in the world. Each season’s top teams from regional leagues, such as Korea’s LCK, China’s LPL, Europe’s LEC, and North America’s LCS, among others, qualify to compete for the title of World Champion.
In the early years, Worlds was a much smaller event. The inaugural 2011 championship featured only 8 teams and a prize pool under $100,000.
By 2022, Worlds featured 24 teams from all around the globe, with multi-million dollar prize pools and a month-long schedule of matches. The competition typically spans multiple host cities. For example, Worlds 2024 took place across Germany, France, and the UK with the finals taking place in London.
The format of Worlds has evolved over time. In a modern Worlds tournament, teams go through multiple stages, detailed in our dedicated article on the Worlds Championship Format.
Complete List of LoL World Championship Winners by Year
| Year | World Champion | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Fnatic | Europe (EU) |
| 2012 | Taipei Assassins | Taiwan (LMS) |
| 2013 | SK Telecom T1 | South Korea (LCK) |
| 2014 | Samsung White | South Korea (LCK) |
| 2015 | SK Telecom T1 | South Korea (LCK) |
| 2016 | SK Telecom T1 | South Korea (LCK) |
| 2017 | Samsung Galaxy | South Korea (LCK) |
| 2018 | Invictus Gaming | China (LPL) |
| 2019 | FunPlus Phoenix | China (LPL) |
| 2020 | DAMWON Gaming | South Korea (LCK) |
| 2021 | Edward Gaming (EDG) | China (LPL) |
| 2022 | DRX | South Korea (LCK) |
| 2023 | T1 | South Korea (LCK) |
| 2024 | T1 | South Korea (LCK) |
(Note: T1 was formerly known as SK Telecom T1. The organization rebranded to “T1”, and the SKT T1 World Championship teams of 2013, 2015, and 2016 are the same organization as T1 who won in 2023 and 2024.)
South Korean teams (LCK) and Chinese teams (LPL) have dominated the championship in the past decade, with a lone European champion in the very first Worlds.
Regional Dominance and Repeat Champions
South Korea’s LCK is the most dominant region in Worlds history. Korean teams have won a total of 8 World Championships as of 2024. These title runs include a famous dynasty by SK Telecom T1 (now T1) and additional championships by Samsung’s teams and DAMWON Gaming.
China’s LPL has emerged as a strong challenger. Chinese teams have won 3 World Championships: Invictus Gaming (2018), FunPlus Phoenix (2019), and Edward Gaming (2021). Invictus Gaming’s victory in 2018 was historic as it was the first-ever Worlds title for China, breaking the Korean streak that had reigned since the first Worlds Championship.
North America (NA) is still chasing its first World Championship. No NA team has ever won Worlds, and in fact, no North American team has even reached the finals. The best NA performances have been reaching semifinals (Cloud9 in 2018’s top four).
Other regions such as Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau (formerly LMS, now part of the PCS), Southeast Asia, and the wildcard regions have had even fewer deep runs. The Taiwanese team Taipei Assassins (LMS region) won the championship in 2012, which was a major upset at the time and a proud moment for that region. Since then, no team from outside the four major regions (Korea, China, Europe, North America) has gotten very deep into the stages. Teams from regions like Vietnam, Brazil, Turkey, CIS, and Oceania have participated through Play-In stages over the years, occasionally making it into the main event group stage, but none have made the finals so far.
Repeat Champions and Notable Team Dynasties
T1 has won Worlds more times than any other team, with championships in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2023, and 2024. Led for many of those victories by the legendary mid-laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.
Aside from T1, the Samsung organization won twice, with two different rosters: Samsung White (2014) and Samsung Galaxy (2017). Although technically different team lineups (White and Galaxy were sister teams under Samsung Electronics), this gave Samsung two championships.
Samsung White's performance in 2014 remains as one of the biggest stomps in Worlds history, getting a winrate of 100%. They did not lose a single match in any set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who won LoL Worlds each year?
A: The world champions for every year are listed above in our complete winners table. In brief: Fnatic won the inaugural World Championship in 2011; Taipei Assassins won in 2012; SK Telecom T1 (T1) dominated 2013, 2015, 2016; Samsung White took 2014; Samsung Galaxy won 2017; Invictus Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix brought home 2018 and 2019 respectively for China; DAMWON Gaming won 2020; Edward Gaming won 2021; DRX won 2022; and T1 were champions in 2023 and 2024.
Q: Which team has the most LoL Worlds titles?
A: South Korea’s T1 (formerly SK Telecom T1) holds the record with five World Championship titles.
Q: Which region has won the most World Championships?
A: Korea (LCK) is the leading region with 8 championships in total.
As League heads into another Worlds Championship, the question remains most likely a tossup between Korea and China; the two regions have been duking it out for the last 12 years, with no other regions claiming a title since Worlds 2011.
However, new shake-ups in the format structure, more opportunities for wildcard teams to compete, and new mechanics like Fearless Draft may finally let more regions get to claim the Summoner's Cup.
