Gocheok Dome heats up for Rold Cup finals…worldwide eSports fans gather.

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Ju-hwan = On November 19, 2023, the League of Legends (LoL) World Championship finals returned to Korea after five years, and Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul was packed with e-sports fans from all over the world.

At the Cloud Bridge next to Gocheok Dome, there were long queues formed at the official merchandise booth of Riot Games and the photo zone. Fans wearing LoL character ‘Teemo’ hats could be seen everywhere in the plaza in front of the stadium.

The World Cup being held in Korea is the first in five years since the 2018 tournament, and it’s the first time in nine years that the finals have been held in Seoul.

Kim Ji-kyung (30), who came to the stadium with her husband wearing T1 uniforms, said, “I’m a fan of ‘Faker’ Lee Sang-hyuk and ‘Keria’ Ryu Min-seok. I hope we can win smoothly with a score of 3:0 or 3:1,” she said with a smile.

Jang Ji-won (19), an e-sports fan who came to the stadium from Daejeon, said, “I managed to get a ticket just before the college entrance exam and came to watch the game. It’s fun because there are many people. I’m originally a fan of another team, but today I want to support T1 as they are the only team left representing the Korean League LCK.”

There were also several Weibo Gaming fans who had come on ‘away support’ from China to Korea.

Wang Xia Xia (30), from Beijing, said, “I’m a fan of captain ‘TheShy’ Kang Seung-rok. I hope TheShy wins again after the 2018 World Cup,” and cautiously predicted, “I think Weibo will win 3:2 today.”

Various events are being held not only at the final venue, Gocheok Dome, but also all over Seoul to commemorate the World Cup.

At Gwanghwamun Square, the final match is being live-streamed on a large screen, and the ‘Game Showbox’, where you can experience game content from small and medium-sized game companies supported by Seoul City, including those located in Seoul Game Content Center, is also being operated.

Security personnel and police forces were deployed throughout the stadium to prevent accidents due to crowd congestion.

The World Cup, held every November, is the most prestigious international club competition in LoL and the largest e-sports tournament in the world in terms of audience size.

T1 from the LCK and Weibo Gaming from the Chinese League LPL will clash for the top team in the world in the finals starting at 5 p.m. today.

T1, the world’s most winning team with World Cup victories in 2013, 2015, and 2016, is aiming for their fourth overall victory.

jujuk@yna.co.kr