League of Legends Worlds resale tickets soar to $169k, as scalpers cash in
· PCGamesNLauren Bergin News Editor
Lauren spends most of her time dead in League of Legends, or equally as dead in Valorant. Don't ask her about Vampire: The Masquerade.
Published: July 27, 2026
I'm the first person to admit that I am macabrely curious. I silently love watching drama from afar, not particularly enjoying others' suffering, but enjoying the fact that there's something to talk about. I knew for a fact that, when League of Legends Worlds tickets went live on Friday July 24, I'd be doomscrolling on socials, getting angrier and angrier for those who tried - and ultimately failed - to score themselves a ticket. I'd quietly hoped that this year it'd be different; that Riot, through some blessing, had learned how to get Worlds tickets in the hands of eager fans. The briefest look at X midway through my Saturday morning haircut, however, proved otherwise. At this point, I'm not even mad; just disappointed.
Riot has consistently struggled to combat scalpers. Whether it was London 2024, Chengdu in 2025, and now New York; it feels like seeing a real-life unicorn is probably more likely that scoring yourself a Worlds ticket. This is the biggest event in the League of Legends esports calendar, people are going to travel for it and subsequently splash the cash on it. Per one Reddit post, tickets range from $113.50 through to $257.05 depending on section and seating. But then I take a glance at SeatGeek, where resell tickets start at a whopping $1,860 minimum, and soar to a colossal $169.5k. At least you'd be getting a full in-venue suite, I guess.
Worlds' general admission sales have concluded, and a quick survey of my friends shows that literally no one has a ticket. It was the same in London (I have more UK-based friends, too). There's rumors - purely rumors - that only 450 tickets made it into the general admission pool, and that over half of the venue remains open. Riot's confirmed that there'll be another wave of tickets launched further down the line, but I'd forgive people for asking themselves if there's even a point in trying.
Tickets, these days, are a virtual commodity. Sure, you can get paper ones for nostalgia - and I presume scalpers do get physical copies so that they can keep a record - but, if videogames can be revoked, why can't tickets be? There's a seat in Section 19, Row 16 available for $4,374 right now; trace the barcode, kill the ticket, remake the barcode, resell it. It feels like there has to be some way to take these tickets back, and I'd assume there's a clause somewhere which means you wouldn't even have to repay the scalper, especially if the resale value is over a certain percentage.
It also feels like there can be better verification checks. Perhaps, in future, you need to have a certain amount of time on your League of Legends account to buy tickets, or said account has to have been created before a certain date. That limits the pool a little bit, and by proxy, ensures that it's just the fans that are getting tickets. Sure, it sucks if you're not a League player, but just how many non-League fans are buying Worlds tickets anyway?
Finally, per an official post from the LoL Esports X account, more tickets will be "available at the end of August." It doesn't confirm the 'only half of the venue is full' theory, but it does add to the frustration. If you've missed out on the fan presale, then the general admission, this is just another queue to sit in; a non-moving progress bar to watch, into a clinical 'sold out' screen. Rolling ticket sales just adds to the disappointment, and the sense that, even if you're there on time, having sat at your laptop for an hour before, it's all for nothing.
I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I have silver-bullet solutions - I'm not a ticket retailer, nor do I have the full, behind-the-scenes information on what's happened here. What I am, however, is a fan - a fan who, at this point, has just stopped trying to get tickets because it feels like it'll never happen. It's depressing, but it's the reality: things like this put even the most hardcore fans off.
Esports is already in a weird state - the influx of betting sponsors, increasing use of generative AI, and the ever-controversial Esports World Cup are slowly eroding interest in what is, I maintain, one of the most vibrant elements of gaming. Worlds is the bastion of what esports can be, yet every year, fans are locked out from it. Post-London 2024, I found my interest in Worlds dwindling - last year I didn't even watch the 2025 finale live. While my trip to Valorant Masters London reignited my love for esports, and in turn has me glued to the LoL esports screen, I can't help but sigh and feel that wave of disappointment. If esports is for the fans, then the fans need to be able to access it. It really is that simple.