LoL Esports Calendar 2021: Highlights, Predictions & Odds
All LoL esports highlights in 2021!
The offseason is over and League of Legends esports is entering its eleventh season. As a major innovation, the entire item arsenal and the shop have been redesigned. In 2020 RIOT Games released six new champions and this increased the number to 153 playable characters in the MOBA. The Lol Esports Calendar 2021, which has a similar structure compared to the previous year, is all the more exciting.
Despite the global crisis, the league process was maintained through 2020 and with the Worlds 2020, RIOT Games also managed to hold an international top event.
The popularity of esports is growing globally, and League of Legends, in particular, broke several records for viewership in 2020. Hopefully this year the international events MSI and Rift Rivals will return. China has dominated the international comparison for the past two years, but in 2020 South Korea’s Damwon Gaming brought the trophy back to the homeland of esports.
The LoL scene is booming in Europe too. The LEC is still an internationally competitive region. No LEC team reached the Worlds Final, but G2 and Fnatic held the flag high. Can Europe challenge the Asian top leagues in 2021 and finally win the “Summoners Cup”?
LoL Esports Calendar 2021
The wait is over because the new LoL Esports Calendar will be filled with numerous events from January 2021. The most important dates of the year in the League of Legends sector can be found below. After the Worlds alone, there is a small break, while otherwise outstanding eSports action is offered almost the entire year.
Period tournament
January LCS lock-in
January to March Spring 2021
March / April Spring Playoffs 2021
Mid-April European Masters Spring
May MSI 2021
June to August summer season 2021
July Rift Rivals 2021
August / September summer finals 2021
Mid-September European Masters summer
October Worlds 2021 in China
All-Stars 2021 at the beginning of December
End of December Demacia Cup 2021
End of December Kespa Cup 2021
LCS Lock-In 🇺🇸 – January 15-31, 2021
For the first time in North America, there is a tournament before the start of the new season, the LCS Lock-In. The ten teams of the North American top league compete against each other, divided into two groups of five teams each. In the group stage, a single round is played in Bo1 mode, the four best teams reach the playoffs. All four quarter-finals will be played in Bo3 mode, for the semifinals and final the game mode will change to Bo5 format.
The lock-in tournament gives a first look at the new roster and the meta that can be expected in spring 2021. Over $ 150,000 will go to the winner of the tournament, which will be determined in the final on January 31, 21. The top favourite is Cloud9 with the new superstar “Perkz”, but team Liquid should also have a good chance of a successful tournament at the LCS Lock-In 2021 according to odds. The starting shot for the LoL Esports calendar 2021 will be in the United States.
Overall winner LCS Lock-In 2021 – Best odds
Betting Tips: 🇺🇸 Cloud9
Odds: 2.10
Betting Tips: 🇺🇸 Team Liquid
Odds: 3.25
Betting Tips: 🇺🇸 TSM
Odds: 7.50
Betting Tips: 🇺🇸 100Thieves
Odds: 10.00
Betting Tips: 🇺🇸 Evil Geniuses
Odds: 10.00
Spring 2021 in the LoL Esports calendar: the start of the eleventh season
The top leagues will start the new LoL Esports season 2021 from mid-January. As usual, a lot has happened in the transfer market. There are a few changes to the league process. The Spring 2021 winners will represent their region at MSI 2021.
LEC 🇪🇺 – Europe’s top league
It’s the third season of the LEC. Franchising has existed in Europe since 2019 and ten teams are still competing. A double round is played in Bo1 mode, with the six best teams reaching the jumping playoffs.
The defending champion is the new record champions G2 Esports, who recently won the league four times in a row. Fnatic and Rogue Esports are considered candidates for a surprise coup. SK Gaming and Schalke 04 are the only German organizations represented in the LEC with limited opportunities.
Overall winner LEC Spring 2021 – Best odds
Betting Tips: 🇪🇸 G2 Esports
Odds: 1.33
Betting Tips:🇬🇧 Fnatic
Odds: 5.00
Betting Tips: 🇪🇺 Rogue
Odds: 9.00
Betting Tips: 🇪🇸 MAD Lions
Odds: 14.00
Betting Tips: 🇩🇪 Schalke 04
Odds: 34.00
LCK 🇰🇷 – Record World Champion South Korea
The LCK has also introduced franchising for 2021, and there are a new logo and branding from this season. As in the LEC, ten teams are fighting for the title, with the LCK continuing to play its winner in a double round in Bo3 format.
There are changes in playoff mode, where the LCK will play a bracket based on the model of the other regions from 2021. The reigning world champion Damwon Gaming is the defending champion of the LCK, last spring the record champion T1 won the trophy.
LPL 🇨🇳 – The largest league in the world
In the largest esports region, China, LoL has a high status in the sports community. With 17 teams, the LPL is the largest of all top leagues. Therefore, a single round is played in Bo3 mode. After the regular season, the ten best teams will fight for the LPL title in the playoffs.
The first phase is played in the “King of the Hill” format between ranks three to ten. In the second phase, the two winners of the first phase, as well as ranks 1 and 2 from the jumping competition, compete against each other in a double-elimination round. The reigning LPL champion is Top Esports.
🇪🇺 European Masters Spring – European championship of the regional leagues
Another LoL Esports highlight in 2021 in the first half of the year is the EU Masters tournament. The 16 best teams from the European regional leagues compete. For Germany, the best teams from the Prime League Spring 2021 are there.
In summer there is a new edition with the top teams of the summer season. Most recently, Gamer Legion from Germany reached the final of the tournament but was subject to the Polish representative AGO Rogue.
MSI 2021 – Number 2 in the LoL Esports Calendar 2021?
The Mid Season Invitational, MSI for short, can be traded as the first international highlight of the year. Here the spring champions from all the top leagues in the world compete against each other. Due to the pandemic, the tournament was cancelled last year, which is why Europe’s G2 Esports has been the defending champion since 2019. Back then, the ninjas defeated North America’s Team Liquid and brought the trophy to Europe for the first time.
It is not yet certain whether the event will return this year, but the signs are good. A venue has not yet been determined, but the planned rough schedule in the esports calendar 2021.
Rift Rivals 2021 – Duel of the rivals
Another event that could make its return on the esports calendar in 2021 is Rift Rivals. In this international tournament, rival regions compete against each other. So it is LEC vs. LCS and LPL vs. LCK vs. PCS & VCS.
In the most recent edition of 2019, the tournament was held a few weeks after the start of the summer season. At that time, Europe triumphed over North America; in Asia, South Korea prevailed over China, Taiwan & Vietnam. There is still no confirmation that the Rift Rivals event is returning in 2021, but the unique mode is well worth seeing.
Unlike usual, the teams play a Bo5 match against their rivals in the final, with a different representative of the region acting after each card.
Summer 2021 Season – Who Qualifies for the Worlds?
After a short break in the middle of the year, the second half of the year begins with the summer season. Nothing changes in the league process. The only exception is the LCS, which will take over the results from the spring for the first time in 2021 and thus run the season throughout the year. In addition, instead of a double round, a triple round is played in summer.
In addition to the summer champion, the representatives for the worlds are determined via the playoffs. The best teams in the summer playoffs qualify in Europe and North America, while the last teams in the Regionals are determined in China and South Korea.
Worlds 2021 🇨🇳 – The mega-event in the LoL esports calendar 2021
The top event in the LoL esport calendar 2021 is the Worlds. It is the biggest esports event of the year and even in the difficult 2020, RIOT Games managed to land a success. Over 45 million viewers watched the final between Damwon Gaming and Suning Gaming at Pudong Stadium last year. It was an important sign for esports in general and the endgame was the most-watched LoL game of all time.
The venue for the Worlds 2021, which will again take place in China, has already been determined. At the start of the year, RIOT announced that the finals of the Worlds 2021 will be held in the metropolis of Shenzhen.
Who are the favourites?
Once again, the best teams from around the world will compete in the tournament, with Vietnam also returning. In 2020, the LEC and LPL received four places at the top event for the first time – due to their strong performance in recent years. What it will look like in 2021 is not yet certain, after all, South Korea took back the trophy.
There was a big turnaround in China, as none of the past world champions (FPX & IG) mastered the qualification for the Worlds. On the other hand, it remained rather static in Europe, where G2 and Fnatic were once again the great hopes of the region.
Therefore, there is no clear favourite for the Worlds for the new year, as it is difficult to stay at the top. The defending champion DWG KIA is currently the top contender ahead of Top Esports from China, followed by the three-time world champion T1. Europe’s super team G2 Esports has odds of 13.00. Logically, the odds will shift depending on the previous performances at the events of the Lol calendar 2021.
Winner Worlds 2021 – Best Odds
Betting Tips: 🇰🇷 DWG KIA
Odds: 2.75
Betting Tips: 🇨🇳Top Esports
Odds: 5.50
Betting Tips: 🇰🇷 T1
Odds: 9.00
Betting Tips: 🇨🇳 Invictus Gaming
Odds: 10.00
Betting Tips: 🇪🇸 G2 Esports
Odds: 13.00
South Korea at the top of the world?
The LCK thus celebrated its sixth world championship title after China was last successful in 2018 and 2019. In contrast, Europe could not repeat this success in 2020 after two finals in a row and has been waiting since 2011 to win the “Summoners Cup”. It was even more bitter for North America because, as in the previous year, no team reached the playoffs.
Although South Korea won the title, the years of dominance of the South Korean teams are history and only Damwon Gaming was ahead of the other contestants. From the dominance of a region, the international comparison has developed into a test of strength between the best teams from Europe, China and South Korea. Since 2017 there has not been a final in which only one region was represented.
Winner Region Worlds 2021 – Best Odds
Betting Tips: 🇨🇳 China
Odds: 1.90
Betting Tips: 🇰🇷Sudkorea
Odds: 2.00
Betting Tips: 🇪🇺 Europe
Odds: 16.00
Betting Tips: 🇺🇸 LCS
Odds: 41.00
Betting Tips: All others
Odds: 81.00
So the region of the winner is definitely not safe in 2021 either. The LEC will be involved again in the coming year.
Allstar Event 2021 – pure entertainment
With the coronation of the new world champion, the 2021 season ends in Shenzhen. But in December there is the so-called All-Star Event, where players chosen by the community represent their region in a competition. In addition to the professional players, RIOT Games is also inviting several well-known streamers and former professionals to the event.
Instead of competition, the All-Star event focuses on entertainment and several fun modes are played. There is also the 1v1 tournament, in which the best individual player is determined. So if you are looking for exciting picks and aggressive plays, you shouldn’t miss the All-Star 2021. In 2020 a well-known German streamer was there with “NoWay”, who even reached the final in the 1v1 tournament.
Demacia & Kespa Cup 2021 – final tournaments in China & South Korea
At the end of the year, the KeSPA Cup is traditionally played in South Korea and the Demacia Cup in China. The top teams in the region compete in these tournaments and we get a first preview of the new roster that has been put together for the coming year.
In 2020 the reigning world champion DWG won the KeSPA-Cup with his new top lancer “Khan” with a dominant 3-0 victory over Nongshim Red Force. At the Demacia Cup, the summer champion of the LPL 2020, Top Esports, was successful and also defeated Team WE 3-0 in the final. The main importance of the cups is less in the value of the tournament victory at the end of the LoL Esports calendar in 2021, but in the first forecasts for 2022.
LoL Esports Events 2021: Outlook & information
For fans of League of Legends, the new year can only be a highlight and especially the MSI in May and the Worlds in October should not be missed by any viewer in 2021. Anyone who follows the German Prime League should also have the EU Masters on the slip, as this will determine the European champion.
In the Asian region, there are exciting tournaments, especially in winter, such as the Demacia & KeSPA Cup. The betting base assumes that the LoL Esport event calendar will be completed again in 2021 and that tournaments such as the MSI, which were cancelled in 2020, will return.
Therefore, there are many opportunities for esports enthusiasts in the New Year to bet on all kinds of events and teams all over the world.
The big highlight of the LoL Esport Calendar 2021 is the Worlds in October, which will be held in China.
Where can LoL esports be tracked?
As usual, LoL will be broadcast on Twitch and Youtube. English-language streams are available for all top leagues. The “Summoners Inn” channel offers a German voice output for the LEC, Prime League and the international events Rift Rivals, EU Masters, MSI and Worlds 2021.
