League of Legends 2024 Championships Kicks Off With Electric G-Class as a Trophy Carrier

The German company has been involved in sports for a long time. Up until recently, it was in cahoots with the German Football Association (DFB), backing the country's main football (soccer) team. It had done so for nearly half a century.

Then, out of the blue, it exited the partnership in 2018 with the stated goal of getting a lot more involved with the gaming industry. And one of the ways this involvement manifests itself is by being the official automotive partner of all global League of Legends (LoL) Esports events.

League of Legends is a global phenomenon. The free online battle arena has a whooping 150 million registered players, and tens of millions of are playing the game constantly. Quite the potential customer pool, then, for Mercedes to appeal to.

For several years now Mercedes' connection to the game translated into the company supplying a special vehicle to be used as a trophy carrier during the League of Legends world championship. Last year, for instance, that honor fell on the Mercedes-Benz EQS. This time, the trophy will be carried inside an electric G-Class.

It's not just any G-Class, but one specifically tailored for the task. Mechanically speaking, it's the same as the production version, but when it comes to looks and fittings, it is a complete work of the carmaker's Manufaktur division.

Aside from the special colors and accents, the SUV boasts a Worlds logo stitched on the head cushions. For it to be able to carry the LoL trophy, which is called the Summoner's Cup, the rear end was modified "to ensure the safe transport" of the item.

This year's League of Legends 2024 World Championships kicks off today, September 25, in Berlin, with the Play-Ins, and it will end on November 2 in London with the final. In between, the competition will make a stop in Paris for the Knockout stage.

Last year's competition was won by South Korean team T1, led by a player who goes by the name Faker – the first member of LoL's Hall of Legends. Mercedes-Benz is sponsoring this crew, which has already won four titles over the years.

Just like before, Mercedes will not only supply the means of transport for the coveted trophy. The carmaker is also manufacturing exclusive championship rings for the winning team, designed with backing from LoL's publisher, Riot Games.

You can have a look at the G-Class trophy carrier in the attached gallery.  Sadly, we have no idea what Mercedes plans to do with it once the competition is over.