Event in Iceland Watched by Hundreds of Millions

The 2021 League of Legends World Championship is taking place at Laugardalshöll sports center in Reykjavík these days, Morgunblaðið reports. The event, hosted by Riot Games, started October 5 and runs through November 6.

Hundreds of millions of people are expected to follow this esports championship from all over the world.

“There are about 100 million connections to the final competition,” states Ólafur Hrafn Steinarsson, head of the Icelandic Esports Association. “It’s hard to know how many people are behind those.” He adds that many people can gather to watch the championship through one stream.

For example, he notes, esports fans in Asia often gather at parties to watch the world championship, just like Icelanders gather to watch Eurovision or the FIFA World Cup.

“We can assume that during the championship, every moment, tens of millions the world over are showing up for parties to watch [the championship],” Ólafur states. This is the largest event ever held in Iceland, he adds.

Björn Berg Gunnarsson, director of Íslandsbanki’s analysis division, believes Iceland can profit from being a destination for esports. “This is a windfall for us,” he asserts. He adds that esports have surpassed cycling, tennis and Formula 1 in terms of income and award prize money.

Hildur Bæringsdóttir, project manager for Business Iceland (Íslandsstofa), states it is the role of Business Iceland to bring Iceland to the attention of organizers of events, such as League of Legends. “We are already negotiating with other event organizers in the field of esports,” she reveals.

For more information about the event, see here .