China fails to reach world’s biggest esports tournament finals for first time since 2018, disappointing fans at home

The JDG team, backed by ecommerce giant JD.com, on Saturday lost 1-3 against South Korea’s T1 team in their best-of-five semi-final match. That defeat proved a big letdown for Chinese esports fans, who expected JDG to go all the way to the 2022 League of Legends World Championship finals. — SCMP

China has failed to reach the finals of the League of Legends World Championship, the esports industry’s biggest tournament, for the first time since 2018, triggering an outpouring of disappointment online among Chinese video gaming fans.

The JD Gaming (JDG) team, backed by Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com, on Saturday lost 1-3 against South Korea’s T1 team in their 2022 League Worlds best-of-five semi-final match held in the United States, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. T1 advanced to the finals that will be held on Nov 5 in San Francisco, where the winning team will get to hoist the coveted Summoner’s Cup trophy and a pool prize money of US$2.225mil (RM10.53mil).