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Riot Games and LoL Esports revealed that the League of Legends Worlds 2023 will finally feature a brand-new format. The location for Worlds 2023 was also announced.
League of Legends Worlds 2023
Where will LoL Worlds 2023 be held?
According to Riot Games' announcement, Worlds 2023 will be held in South Korea. The last time they hosted the tournament was in 2018, and it culminated in the Incheon Munhak Stadium. No specifics regarding venues and dates were revealed just yet.
Worlds 2023 Format
This year's Worlds will feature 22 teams, down from last year's 24. The tournament will still begin with Play-Ins, followed by the Swiss stage, and concluding with the Knockouts stage.
However, there is also a new way to qualify to Worlds named the “Worlds Qualifying Series.”
The Worlds Qualifying Series, or WQS, is a best-of-five match between the LEC 4th seed and the LCS 4th seed. The winner of this match qualifies to Worlds. “In future years, we hope to expand the Worlds Qualifying Series to include additional regions and teams,” said Riot Games.
The winner of the WQS will join the 21 other qualifiers in Korea. 8 of these teams will begin at the Play-In Stage:
- 2 VCS teams
- 2 PCS teams
- 1 LLA team
- 1 CBLOL team
- 1 LJL team
- 1 LEC/LCS team (via WQS)
The remaining 14 teams will begin in the Swiss stage:
- 4 LPL teams
- 4 LCK teams
- 3 LEC teams
- 3 LCS teams
Play-Ins Stage
The Play-Ins is composed of a pair of double-elimination four-team brackets. Out of the eight teams, only two will qualify into the Swiss stage.
Each “group” plays a best-of-three double elimination bracket, where the “upper winner” from one group plays a best-of-five against the “lower winner” from the other spot to qualify to the Swiss stage.
Swiss Stage
Now 16 teams, the Swiss Stage features a five-round, Swiss-style format. Teams with the same win-loss record will go against each other until they achieve 3 wins or 3 losses.
The Swiss stage will kick off with each team being paired against a team from a different region, randomly. Each of these pairs will play one best-of-one.
Teams with a similar W-L record will be matched against each other in Round 2. For example, teams with a 1-0 record will go against teams with a 1-0 record. This will continue for five rounds.
Those who reach 3 wins will advance to the Knockout stage, while 3 losses means elimination. Any match that will either advance or eliminate a team will be best-of-three. Otherwise, it will be a best-of-one.
Knockout Stage
The eight teams that make it out of the Swiss stage moves on to the Knockout stage. This is a single elimination bracket based on their placement in Swiss.
“For Worlds, we focused on creating more best-of match play and more opportunities for cross-regional competition. We also wanted to make sure that every single game at Worlds had stakes and that we could minimize elimination games that do not impact the outcome of the tournament for both teams playing,” said Riot Games. “Bringing a multiple elimination format to Play-Ins and Swiss gives teams a chance early in the tournament to make a comeback if they started off poorly and gives us more games to watch our favorite pros compete. By keeping Knockouts a single elimination best-of-five format, teams have the opportunity to prove who is the best of the best – no second chances, no breathing room, just one shot to win it all.”
