E-Sports: South Korea Favored at LoL Championship

It's no secret that South Korea is the global leader in eSports. Three of the top four favorites for the 2016 League of Legends World Championship hail from there, making South Korea a heavy –250 chalk to bring home the hardware for the fourth straight year. China is second at +275, with North America a distant third at +1200.


The World Championship is being held in the United States this year, starting September 29 in San Francisco and wrapping up October 29 with the final at Staples Center in Los Angeles. This is a 16-team round-robin tournament, broken down into four groups; the favorites, ROX Tigers (+160), are in Group A, while the defending champions and second favorites from SK Telecom T1 (+175) are in Group B. Both teams are based in Seoul.

The top Chinese team, and third on the eSports futures market, is EDward Gaming (+350) in Group C. Samsung Galaxy (+1600), who won the 2014 Championship as Samsung Galaxy White, is the remaining South Korean team in Group D. This is easily the most competitive group of the four, with America's Team SoloMid (+1600) and China's Royal Never Giveup (+1800) also in the mix.

E-Sports Odds: Will SK Telecom T1 Be Dethroned at LoL Championship?
They're the reigning League of Legends World Champions, but SK Telecom T1 are the second-favorites at +175 to claim this year's title, just behind their fellow South Koreans from the ROX Tigers at +160. The 2016 Championship starts September 29 in San Francisco.

With the 2014 champs from Samsung Galaxy (+1600) also among the top favorites, South Korea is a massive –250 chalk to field the winning team. China is next at +275, represented by a strong contingent from Edward Gaming (+350) and another viable contender in Royal Never Giveup (+1800). North America is a distant +1200 outsider.