League of Legends World Championship final arrives in Seoul

Six weeks of intense battle in the online world of Runeterra have all led up to this. Korean hometown favorites T1 and Chinese team Weibo Gaming were set to face off in the final round of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship on Sunday.

The outside of Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul hours ahead of the final of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship. [MARY YANG]

Judgement day for the world's best League of Legends (LoL) teams has arrived. Korean hometown favorites T1 and Chinese team Weibo Gaming were set to face off in the final round of the 2023 LoL World Championship on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of people from Korea and around the world made the pilgrimage to Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul to watch the showdown live.

Outside of the stadium, posters of each of the teams and Worlds 2023 branding were plastered everywhere as fans with coveted tickets stood in huge lines hours ahead of the 5 p.m. match start.

Others waited their turn to take a picture with cosplayers dressed in extravagant costumes inspired by characters from the game.

Some people in the crowd heading toward the stadium stopped for a moment to pick up a small, clear decorated card out of a cardboard box, which Yu Ning, 23, was handing out for free.

League of Legends fans hand out decorated postcards as crowds flock inside Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul. [MARY YANG]

“I’m delivering some postcards for Zeus[,also known as Choi Woo-je, who plays for Korea’s T1,] and for those fans who support him. I hope they will get a good score and a good ending.”

The 23-year-old has been a fan of T1 for about two years but has been playing League of Legends since 2013 when she was in middle school. Her boyfriend at that time introduced her to the game.

Yu, who is pursuing a master’s degree at the City University of Hong Kong, said she booked a four-day trip from China to Korea to watch the LoL final live.

“I think it’s a symbol for our youth. When we are young, we are energetic and we love this game and to watch this game,” Yu Ning said. “These players also are in a young age and I think they are a symbol for us. That they can get the champion and we can also get our champion in our life.”

The stadium is typically home to the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes, but on Sunday the inside was transformed into a stage decorated with rocks with lights turning the dome a menacing red. Huge TVs that would blast the players’ screens during the final hung on either side.

The inside of Gocheok Sky Dome was transformed for a final Worlds round. [MARY YANG]

The winner of the final best-of-five series would take home a guaranteed grand prize $445,000 — 20 percent of the $2,225,000 purse.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]