The LoL Worlds 2023 stands as the most monumental esports championship globally. Originating from its inaugural event at Gamescom in 2011, this tournament has now attained colossal proportions, featuring a mammoth prize pool worth millions of dollars and captivating fans hailing from all corners of the world, passionately supporting their beloved teams.

The League of Legends World Championship is set to return to South Korea for the third time in 2023, as announced by Riot Games. Alongside this exciting news, a fresh format has been introduced for the tournament. To stay updated on all the latest information about Worlds in 2023, read on for the details below.

LoL Worlds 2023: Location & Starting Date

World Championship Location

The 2023 LoL Worlds will take place in South Korea, marking the country’s third time hosting the World Championship and potentially its first as the sole host. The tournament will be held across multiple cities in South Korea.

Seoul and Busan have been selected by Riot as the host cities for the event. The Play-In Stage and Swiss stage will be held in Seoul, followed by the Quarter and Semi Finals in Busan.

The Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, the largest indoor venue in the country, with a seating capacity of nearly 17,000, will host the Grand Finals.

World Championship Starting Date & Schedule

Due to the 19th Asian Games taking place from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China, the event will commence slightly later than its usual time. To ensure teams from participating regions have enough time to return to South Korea, Riot has decided to start Worlds on October 10, 2023.

• From October 10th to 15th, the Play-In Stage will take place at LoL Park in Seoul.
• The Swiss Stage is scheduled to take place at KBS Arena in Seoul from October 19 to 23, and from October 26 to 29.
• The Quarterfinals of the Knockout Stage will take place from November 2nd to 5th at the Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan. Following that, the Semifinals will be held on November 11th and 12th at the same venue.
• The Worlds Finals are scheduled to take place on November 19th, hosted at the Gocheok Sky Dome located in Seoul.

LoL Worlds Opening Match

Currently, the League of Legends World Championship 2023 has almost finalized the participating teams. Only one spot remains open, as the fourth seeds from EU and NA battle it out for it. The upcoming match features Golden Guardians facing off against Team BDS.

However, we have already identified the participants for the initial matchup of Worlds 2023. The clash between Movistar R7 and PSG Talon is scheduled to take place on October 10, at 3:00 AM EDT/8:00 AM BST. Below is a comprehensive summary of Play-In Phase Round 1.

New Tournament Format for LoL Worlds 2023

Riot recently announced a fresh format for international tournaments in the 2023 League of Legends season. With MSI 2023 already concluded, let’s delve into the details we have regarding Worlds 2023.

There will be a total of 22 teams participating in the event, engaging in three rounds of competition namely Play-Ins, Stage 2, and Knockouts.

European and North American fans are in for a treat with the exciting addition of the Worlds Qualifying Series, giving them a little extra to enjoy.

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Worlds Qualifying Series

In order to decide which team will secure a spot in the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, a new tournament called the Worlds Qualifying Series will be introduced. This tournament will involve the fourth seeds from both the LEC and LCS, competing against each other.

In the future, Riot aims to broaden the scope of the Worlds Qualifying Series (WQS) by incorporating a greater number of teams, as stated by the company.

In 2023, the pre-tournament match for the 2023 League of Legends World Championship will be limited to two teams competing in a best-of-five series. The winner of this match will secure the final spot in the championship.

On October 9, 2023, the Worlds Qualifying Series will feature an intense matchup between the LCS representatives, Golden Guardians, and the LEC contenders, Team BDS. The stakes are high as only one team will advance to the coveted Worlds Play-In Stage!

LoL Worlds Play-In Stage Explained

During the play-in stage, the eight teams will be divided into two groups to participate in a double elimination bracket, where they will compete in a best of 3 format. Following this phase, the top four teams from each group will advance to the next stage. In this new stage, known as ‘Stage 2’, the teams will compete in a pair of best of five matches. The winners of these matches will progress to the next round of the tournament.

Regions Part of Play-In Phase

• The VCS and PCS will each send their top two teams.
• The team that finishes first in LLA, CBLOL, LJL, and the victor of the WQS will come together as the top team.

Stage 2 of LoL Worlds Explained

This is the point where it becomes incredibly captivating. In the second stage of the tournament, a grand total of sixteen teams will be participating. These teams will engage in intense competition using the Swiss format. But what does this ‘Swiss format’ exactly involve?

For the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, Riot has replaced the usual group stage with a five-round Swiss format. In this new format, teams will continue competing until they reach either three wins or three losses.

In order to ensure fair competition, teams will be matched against opponents with the same game record as them. At the beginning of the first round, when all teams have a record of 0-0, pairings will be determined randomly.

• Were you aware that Riot has previously experimented with the Swiss Format? They implemented it during the 2022 Demacia Cup held in China.

All games, except for those that determine advancement or elimination, will be played as best-of-ones. For the latter, a best-of-three format will be used.

Once the Swiss Round is completed, a total of eight teams will advance to the knockout rounds. Subsequently, we will proceed to the final stage of the League of Legends World Championship to determine the ultimate victor.

Regions Starting in Swiss Stage:

• The LPL and LCK’s top 4 teams
• The LEC and LCS have the best three teams.
• There are two victors emerging from the Play-In Stage.

Knockout Rounds Explained

Is an explainer necessary for this? The regular League of Legends knockout rounds have become familiar to us, so this is not surprising. Fans will have the opportunity to witness the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals, leading up to the finals. However, there will be no double elimination as Riot has explicitly stated their preference against it for Worlds.

Instead, we will be introducing an entirely new second round for the tournament. This revamped format holds great potential, as it incorporates more best-of-three and five games, which the community has been eagerly requesting for a considerable period.

LoL Worlds 2023: Qualified Teams

The tournament will showcase 22 teams hailing from various corners of the globe. Among them, eight teams will compete in the Play-In Phase, while the remaining fourteen teams have already secured their spots in the Swiss Stage of the tournament.

Teams Qualified For Play-In Phase

Teams Qualified For Swiss Stage

JD Gaming, who have been a dominant force both domestically and internationally, emerged as the first team to secure a spot in the 2023 League of Legends World Championship.

• Lasse Lindner