It’s hard to believe, but only 15 years ago, eSports tournaments were held only at rare video game shows and, more often, in poorly lit computer clubs. Players fought for ridiculous prizes of a couple thousand dollars, and the audience could find out about the competition only on the forums.
Today, LoL is officially the best eSports game in the world. LoL events list is constantly being updated with new events. Therefore, the level of tournaments should correspond to their status. In any megalopolis in the world, you can find an eSports arena that meets high standards. We have selected the best arenas that are suitable for LoL tournaments.
Commerzbank arena (Frankfurt)
Renting facilities from big sports clubs is quite a common practice in eSports. In addition, it is precisely in such challenges that the true level of the organizers shows itself. It is not an easy task to change the stadium to eSports tournament standards.
However, the ESL employees have been able to do this at Eintracht’s home stadium for several years in a row. Firstly, the Frankfurt Major of Dota 2 was held here with great success, and then they took up other disciplines: Hearthstone, Starcraft 2, CS:GO, and League of Legends.
Yota Arena (Moscow)
Yota Arena is the most modern eSports arena in Russia. With 5 000 square meters, it has everything for its visitors: comfortable spectator seats, gaming zones with the most powerful gaming computers currently available, thematic stores, and a restaurant. To some extent, the stadium even looks more like a movie theater of the future than a sports venue.
It is worth noting that the owners of the arena are actively involved in the development of LoL tournaments. They regularly organize events for amateurs and beginners. In addition, the venue has successfully hosted major competitions several times.
World Cup Stadium in Seoul
One of the biggest soccer stadiums in the world, Seoul World Cup Stadium, is third on the list, but not in importance. The arena’s attendance at League of Legends tournaments clearly demonstrates the attitude of the people of this country toward computer sports. The organizers managed to make a real show out of the finals of the 2014 World Championship. With a 66-thousand-filled arena, Korea’s Samsung White simply could not lose in the finals, and they did not.
The 2014 League of Legends World Championship was the first to show the potential of this type of event. Of course, the finals of subsequent tournaments in this category in North America and Europe will not complain about attendance. But it’s worth admitting that eSports events of this magnitude can only be seen on the Asian continent.
Spodek in Katowice
The main eSports arena in Eastern Europe. The Spodek Arena is located in the Polish city of Katowice. In the 21st century, the arena was graced by the organizers of the Intel Extreme Masters Series tournaments in Counter-Strike and League of Legends. There is always a full house here at large LoL events.
eSports Arena
Another eSports arena is located in Orange County, California. Its modular system allows it to be adapted for small and large tournaments. The Arena hosts daily video game tournaments and produces unique video content. The venue rents out space and equipment for eSports.
Arlington Esports Stadium
Until recently, most eSports events were held at one-size-fits-all venues, which didn’t always meet the exact technical requirements of tournament organizers. Often, we had to create conditions for quality broadcasts almost from scratch: we had to install a lot of cameras, lighting, and additional screens.
That’s why the city of Arlington created the biggest complex in North America for eSports events, particularly for LoL events. In addition to the main tournament area, there are rooms for players’ bootcamps, rest rooms, studios for casters, analysts, sound recording, and post production in the 100,000 square meter area. The stage is easily customizable to meet the needs of different disciplines, from mobile gaming to consoles.
Zhongxian E-Sports Stadium in Chongqing
This arena in Chongqing, China was the first stadium in China built specifically and exclusively for eSports events. The building looks imposing, covers 60,000 square meters and seats 20,000 people. But the biggest thing about the stadium was that the architects took care of the spectators who could not buy tickets for the seating inside.
The entire facade of the building consists of glass and LED screens broadcasting eSports tournaments. The space in front of the arena is arranged so that as many fans as possible can enjoy the games of their favorite teams. At the heart of the building, where the tournaments take place, everything is also arranged according to the state of the art. Four huge screens broadcast the matches for the audience, while the athletes themselves sit on a futuristic stage, convenient for creating different visual effects.
These six arenas are clear evidence that eSports has a great future ahead of it.
