As of now, the Esports World Cup 2024 for League of Legends can be considered a success. The large-scale Esports tournament, the first of its kind held in the Middle East, has achieved the full effect that the organizers desired, from media impact to the quality of competition. In fact, according to many evaluations from the League of Legends community, although it took place over a short period, the quality of the matches could rival major tournaments like MSI or Worlds. In terms of prize money, it goes without saying that the officially announced figures are nearly on par with that of a Worlds event. In this context, the MSI inadvertently causes many viewers to worry that it may be “overlooked” in the future.
According to a discussion between Thorin (a well-known journalist in the Western League of Legends scene) and commentator MonteCristo, some information has emerged regarding the potential discontinuation of MSI in 2025 or 2026 as EWC begins to receive more focus from Riot and develops into an official tournament within the League of Legends tournament system. Additionally, from the information discussed, there will be no need to determine a location for the EWC (when this tournament replaces MSI) as it will only be held in the Middle East. Moreover, with the prize money from EWC 2024 showing a very interesting figure, the information from Thorin and MonteCristo further excites the League of Legends community.
However, just a few hours later, a representative from Riot officially responded. According to Chris Greeley, Riot’s Global Strategy Director, he stated bluntly: “The move of MSI to July was planned before we knew about EWC. Of course, the schedule may be reconsidered, but I assure you that MSI 2025 will not be held in the Middle East (nor are there any plans for future tournaments).”
The information from Riot may momentarily quell rumors about EWC replacing MSI. Furthermore, EWC is a tournament for the entire Esports community, not just for League of Legends. Therefore, it will also be difficult for this tournament to replace MSI, especially when the Middle East does not have a particularly strong League of Legends scene. However, perhaps Riot should invest more in MSI, as this tournament seems to be falling behind in both quality and prize money.