New rules mean that every match could mean the difference between your tournament life or death.
The 2023 League of Legends World Championships, more commonly referred to as Worlds, is right around the corner, bringing with it the excitement of an all-new format. 22 of the best League of Legends teams from around the world converge in South Korea to see who is worthy of lifting the Summoner’s Cup.
Here’s what you need to know about Worlds 2023.
The Teams
Nine regions will clash against each other to see who reigns supreme. China and Korea enter with four teams, North America and Europe with three, Southeast Asia and Vietnam with two, and Brazil, Japan, and Latin America with one each.
The first big change is that a fourth NA or European team could join the fight for the Summoner’s Cup. They will decide their fate in the Worlds Qualifying Series.
The WQS will kick off Worlds 2023 on October 9 as Golden Guardians and Team BDS fight for the last spot into the play-ins.
The New Format
Play-ins are now a double elimination bracket with the eight participating teams divided into two groups. The top two in each group will then face off against each other to see which two teams will make it to the Swiss stage.
This is where things can get a bit confusing so bear with us. The new Swiss stage is the biggest change to the Worlds 2023 format. 16 teams will be paired off to play against a team from a different region and seeding.
Once this first round of games is done the teams will be paired again, this time against teams with the same record. This process will repeat three more times until teams either reach three wins to advance or three losses to be eliminated from the tournament.
All in all, only eight teams will remain for the knockout stage. Here it’s back to the good old-fashioned best-of-five, single-elimination bracket. It’s here where the remaining eight will make the final push to see who will become the 2023 World Champions.
It’s clear that the intention of the new format is to make every game matter. No more dead games between eliminated teams or free games for teams ahead of the pack. If a team wants to become the World Champion, they’re going to have to give it their all from the very first moment that they set foot on the stage.
Banner image from Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games.
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