Gab Hernandez 
As the 2024 League of Legends World Championship comes closer, LoL fans have found themselves without any tickets for Worlds.
The League of Legends esports scene still has high peaks despite a rollercoaster 2024. Stories such as Gen.G’s record-breaking winning streak have recaptured fan excitement. Other stories, like the controversial exit of Quickshot from the LEC or Riot putting LCS players in closets, cast a cloud over the scene.
Even so, few things can stop LoL players from getting hyped about the upcoming Worlds 2024. After a whirlwind year, there are many favorites to win Worlds, and fans can’t wait to see the best teams compete. However, recent reports show that they can’t even watch Worlds 2024 live if they want to.
Tickets for Worlds 2024 sold out in minutes, allegedly due to bots and scalpers
Fans on social media shared concerns about acquiring tickets to watch the 2024 League of Legends World Championship.
Riot has yet to comment on the incident. Speculation on what caused the ticket shortage has been scattered. Some believe bots are to blame for the ticket shortage, likely grabbing seats to resell at inflated prices.
Others blame the infrastructure of the sites. Ticketmaster and AXS have a long history of manufacturing ticket scarcity. Ticketmaster’s business model is infamous among concertgoers. The consequences of that monopoly have bled over to Ticketmaster’s other ventures, namely the inflation of ticket prices. Other ticket resellers have adopted this same approach, though it’s unclear whether these companies are to blame for the Worlds 2024 ticket situation.
Meanwhile, AXS filed a lawsuit against hackers who found an exploit to resell and hoard tickets purchased from their platforms. Disgruntled buyers accused the platforms of sidestepping the issue, as the respective companies will count the sales regardless. The angriest posts come from people who waited hours to get a ticket and instead came face-to-face with a sold-out screen.
For those who don’t live in the UK, missing out on the chance to watch Worlds 2024 despite yearlong plans is devastating. The most dedicated fans may have to grit their teeth and buy at scalper prices, which are tracking to be three to four times the cost. Prices could wind up going even higher by the time of the event.
Fans hope Riot, or the ticket organizers, can solve this pressing issue. Given how these issues have plagued traditional sports, tickets, and other events, that seems unlikely.
