Lol Esports is almost ready to begin another competitive year, as we ramp up to the start of seasons in all major regions. The LPL has already seen the Demacia and Weibo cups, and the LEC is preparing for its first-ever winter split, kicking off very soon.
Long-time fans of the esport may be used to the All-Star event, but this year the Lolesports kickoff will be held instead. Here's everything you need to know about when you can watch it, and what to expect from the new tournament.
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Lol Esports Kickoff Start Date
The Kickoff event is the largest we've seen to begin a season of competitive League of Legends. Since players no longer have to travel to one place, more can compete. There are a ton of regions taking part and a very long list of well-known players.
From January 10-11, 2023, all major regions and many minor ones will host a special two-day broadcasted event previewing the 2023 Lol Esports season. The focus will be highlighting players to watch and giving fans a first look at Season 2023 on the Rift.
The event will last a few hours in each region, and once one concludes another region will take over the broadcast. Here is the full schedule so you know when your region will play:
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
- 1:30-5 am PT: LCK
- 5-8 am PT: VCS
- 8-11 am PT: CBLOL
- 11 am-2 pm PT: LCS
- 2-9 pm PT: Select Rebroadcasts
- 11 pm-2 am PT: LJL
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
- 2-5 am PT: LPL
- 5-8 am PT: PCS
- 8-11 am PT: LEC
- 11 am-2 pm PT: LLA
- 2-8 pm PT: Select Rebroadcasts
Tune in on lolesports.com to watch all the games live.
2023 Kickoff Format
While we won't see teams in the rosters they will compete in during the Lol Esports season, we will certainly see some familiar faces. Each region can decide how to draft its teams, with a format in mind. Here's how the event will work:
- All pro teams in each of the 9 leagues will send players to compete in the Kickoff event. It’s up to each region to determine how teams are drafted, so you might see different methods in the LCS versus the PCS
- Best-of-3 format on Summoner’s Rift (NOTE: the LPL will run a best-of-1, single elimination format)
- No champion bans: all champions are fair game to play
- No repeat champions: once a champion has been played, they’re out of the pool! (NOTE: the LPL will differ slightly as there will be more games played)
- Each of the pro teams represented on the winning team will be able to create an emote with our designers to be added into League of Legends.