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2016 League of Legends World Championship will be held in North America

The final returns to Staples Center, where SKT T1 won its first title at the Season 3 Championship.

By Pete Volk
LoLesports

For the third time in its six-year history, the 2016 League of Legends World Championship will be held in North America. Starting in San Francisco and making its way through Chicago and New York, the finals will be held on Oct. 29 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

It's the first time Worlds have been held in North America since 2013, which was the second of two consecutive North American Worlds. The last two have been held in South Korea and Europe, respectively (the first one was also held in Europe).

The full schedule for this year's tournament:

  • Group Stage: Sept. 29-Oct. 2 and Oct. 6-9 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Calif.
  • Quarterfinals: Oct. 13-16 at The Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Ill.
  • Semifinals: Oct. 21-22 at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y.
  • Finals: Oct. 29 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

No North American team has ever won Worlds, and no NA team has finished in the top four since the very first tournament in 2011 (the last tournament without Korean or Chinese teams in the field). But there's reason for hope this year: new North American powerhouse Immortals is still undefeated in the regular season, and already looks like one of the best NA teams ever.

Last year's final was held in Berlin, and saw SK Telecom T1 triumph over fellow Korean squad KOO Tigers for SKT's second Worlds title.