Riot announce first-ever global Wild Rift tournament

Riot Games announced that the company plans to hold their first-ever global Wild Rift tournament in late 2021.

This was announced during the virtual Preview event held on 5th May, where Riot Games executives provided updates and more details about the future esports plans for League of Legends, Valornat, TFT, and Wild Rift.

"We really believe that mobile gaming will help transform the future of esports," said John Needham, Global Head of Esports at Riot Games.

During the event, Needham shared the first details about their plans when it comes to the global Wild Rift esports scene

"To top off 2021 for Wild Rift Esports, regional teams will qualify for our first-ever Wild Rift global tournament," he said. "While we haven’t nailed down all the specifics, Riot is committed to a global Wild Rift Esports event in the fourth quarter of the year."

Riot hasn't yet shared the exact details about the structure and format of the competition, but it has been confirmed that that the tournament will feature the best teams from all major regions, similarly to how Valorant and League of Legends esports scene operate.

The SEA Icon Series is the first official Wild Rift esports event (Picture: Riot Games)

Some Wild Rift regional tournaments are already undergoing around the world, particularly in the Southeast Asia region, where the game was first released.

The first official Wild Rift esports competition, the SEA Icon Series: Preseason, was a five-week-long event that took place in multiple locations all around Southeast Asia.

"We’ve seen a great number of esports organizations around the world announcing their Wild Rift teams," said Leo Faria, Global Head of Wild Rift Esports, and added that they expect to see some of the biggest esports organisations around the world soon to start announcing their own Wild Rift rosters.

• Read more: Wild Rift Rammus guide: Best runes, items, tips, and more

Faria confirmed that a regional competition schedule, third-party tournament guidelines, and other details about the global event will be revealed later this year.