andres rogers
BBC Newsbeat, reporting from the O2 Arena

Hello and thank you for joining us as we cover the exciting League of Legends Worlds finals.

There is no doubt that people here are excited. Everywhere you look, fans are wearing t-shirts of their favorite teams in the final: BLG from China and, more often, from Korea. T1.

Politicians and organizers are keen to highlight the economic benefits of this event and it will no doubt provide a boost as people travel from across the UK and the world. Tickets sold out in minutes.

But it’s not all good news. Some have called the last few years an “esports winter,” because many teams and tournaments have struggled financially and closed. The UK esports scene was arguably more vibrant a decade ago, with more teams and more medium-sized events. Since then, the money has run out.

So while bringing the World Cup to the UK is a huge vote of confidence, teams and organizers of smaller competitions hope this is not just a blip.