Sydney’s State Theatre is set to host its first international esports tournament from July 2-5 as professional League of Legends teams from Southeast Asia and Japan visit the Harbour City to take on Australia’s best in the second installment of Rift Rivals.

Rift Rivals is distinct among League of Legends tournaments in its format—unlike most international competitions which see multiple teams from around the world playing for first place, Rift Rivals groups teams from each local league together to represent their region. It’s a more casual event with a larger focus on regional pride, rivalry, and bragging rights. (Last year, victorious teams were handed spray cans to deface the losing team’s regional logo.)

“We know how important live tournaments are for our fans,"  says Daniel Ringland from Riot Games (the company that created League of Legends).

"They bring us together to share in the thrill of watching League of Legends played at the very highest level.”

While League of Legends fans down under are keen to get behind any kind of live competition, Ringland sees the presence of Oceania’s top three teams Dire Wolves, The Chiefs and Legacy Esports as “icing on the cake”. Typically, international tournaments will feature just one Oceanic team, if any.