It’s that time of year once again! It’s time again for the League of Legends World Championship! Starting on September 23rd and running all the way to the final match on November 5th, League’s World Championship offers over a month of top tier MOBA action for fans of the biggest esport in the world.
Teams from around the world have battled all year long to claim their place at World’s, and the final lineup is the absolute best of the best.
This year, Riot is starting off with something a little different, the play-in stage. Running from September 23rd to the 29th, the play-in stage can perhaps best be thought of as the wildcard spot. Teams in this stage are organized into four groups of three. They play best of 1 matches and the top two teams from each of the groups advances to the next round of the play-in stage, facing off against one another in best of five matches. From there, the remaining victorious teams advance to the next round of Worlds, group stage.
Group stage features perhaps the most engaging play of the tournament. With so many fan favorite players and teams, every day of competition is a spectacle for viewers to absorb.
During group stage, 16 teams will play best of 1s in four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the next round, the knockout stage.
In the last round of the World Championship, knockout play, the remaining eight teams will play in best of 5 quarter, semi, and final matches. The last two teams standing will clash on November 4th in Beijing for the prestigious Summoner’s Cup, the trophy awarded to the League of Legends World Champions.
The first teams to compete in the play-in stage are as follows:
In Group A: Team WE, Gambit CIS, and Lyon Gaming
In Group B: Cloud9, Team oNe eSports, and LG Dire Wolves
In Group C: Fnatic, Young Generation, and Kaos Latin Gamers
In Group D: HK attitude, 1907 Fenerbahçe
In group stage, awaiting the four teams who advance from the play-in stage are:
In Group A: Edward Gaming, SK Telecom T1, and ahq e-Sports Club
In Group B: Longzhu Gaming, Immortals, and GIGABYTE Marines
In Group C: G2 Esports, Samsung Galaxy, and Royal Never Give Up
In Group D: Flash Wolves, Misfits, and Team SoloMid
During the League of Legends World Championship, Riot is hosting an in-game event to commemorate the tournament. Fans can play to earn ‘Worlds tokens’ which may then be redeemed for various in-game rewards.
If you feel like contributing to the League of Legends World Championship prizepool, you can pick up the Championship Ashe skin in-game. As in previous years, 25% of this skin’s sales will be added to the World championship prizepool. You may also purchase an in-game ‘Worlds Master Pass’ to increase your opportunities to earn Worlds tokens.
With over a month’s worth of top tier LoL esports gameplay to follow, and in-game quests to complete, any League fan will be struggling to find a moment’s rest in the coming weeks!
This post was originally authored by Padraic Murphy.
