San Francisco

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The 2016 League of Legends World Championship transformed the United States into a national stage for esports, with San Francisco acting as one of four major venues alongside Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles. The tournament began with group draws on September 10, featuring 16 teams split into four groups. Matches were played on patch 6.18, notable for the disabling of champions Yorick and Aurelion Sol during specific days. After the group stage concluded across San Francisco and Chicago, the action moved to the Knockout Stage, with the quarterfinals held in Chicago. The format dictated that the top two teams from each group advanced to face off in best-of-five series. While T1 would eventually claim their third title, the path through the American cities was grueling, with every match contributing to the narrative of a team determined to defend its supremacy on foreign soil.

In Their Own Story

The 2016 World Championship journey saw San Francisco host critical group stage matches as part of a nationwide spectacle. Sixteen teams competed for a total prize pool of US$5,070,000, with the winner taking home $2,028,000. The atmosphere in the city was charged as fans watched their local representatives or international favorites battle under the 6.18 patch constraints. As the tournament progressed, the story focused on T1's resilience; they navigated the bracket stage to face Samsung Galaxy in the final held a week later in Los Angeles. In that decisive series, Faker secured the MVP award as his team triumphed 3–2. The San Francisco leg was essential in building the momentum for this historic run, showcasing the global reach of the event before T1 completed their conquest in California's largest city.

Reader's Guide

For fans tracking the history of League of Legends World Championships, San Francisco holds a specific place as a venue during the 2016 edition. It was part of a rotating schedule that included Chicago and New York City before concluding in Los Angeles. The tournament featured a rigorous format: group stages played as best-of-one matches, followed by a knockout stage of best-of-five series. Viewers could catch these events across various broadcast partners, with the final match drawing 43 million people globally and peaking at 14.7 million concurrent viewers. While T1's six titles were won in Korea (2013, 2015, 2016), China (2023, 2024), and other locations, the 2016 run through the US remains a defining chapter in their legacy. The event demonstrated how venues rotate across major regions to engage worldwide audiences.

Did You Know?

• The 2016 World Championship rotated venues across four different US cities: Chicago, San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles.
• Champions Yorick and Aurelion Sol were disabled for specific days of the 2016 tournament due to balance issues on patch 6.18.
• SK Telecom T1 (now T1) won their third world title in 2016 by defeating Samsung Galaxy 3–2 in the final.
• The 2016 final was watched by 43 million people with a peak of 14.7 million concurrent viewers, breaking the previous year's records.
• Faker was named the MVP of the 2016 World Championship after leading T1 to victory.