The 2019 League of Legends World Championship is hours away. The biggest League of Legends competition of the year is set to start on October 12 with the main event group stage.
Fnatic and SK Telecom T1 will be responsible for kicking off the tournament, followed by a clash Royal Never Give Up and Clutch Gaming. The group stage is a double round-robin that will run from October 12 through October 20.
In the first half of the round-robin, the days will be mixed up with matches from different groups. In the second half, each day will be dedicated to one specific group.
The main event will take place live at the Verti Music Hall in Berlin, Germany.
There will be a total of 48 matches played during the group stage, and it can get overwhelming keeping track of it all.
These are the highlight matches from the group stage:
Group C will open the event with two incredibly competitive matches. After these two sets, we will get a clear idea of the teams’ strengths and their potential for the rest of the event. It’s the perfect opportunity for Clutch Gaming to prove that they can go head to head with the best in the world.
SKT versus RNG is the biggest showdown, and possibly the match that will decide Group C. On WIN.gg’s Pick’em prediction, SKT was placed in first followed by RNG. Every time Worlds comes around, these teams are in the conversation and for good reason. This is a clash that no one can miss.
Reigning World Champion Invictus Gaming will look to get its revenge versus Team Liquid. These teams previously matched at the Mid-Season Invitational, where Team Liquid knocked IG off in a best-of-five series. There has been a lot of conversation around these two teams and the community cannot agree on who the best team is between them coming into Worlds.
Griffin and G2 is another controversial match up. Griffin is a domestic juggernaut in the LCK but the team fails to perform in high pressure situations. G2 is the team on everyone’s lips that will look to make good on their potential. This is likely the most important match in Group A.
The game between IG and Damwon will shed some light on Group D and the state of both teams. For the longest time, the LPL and the LCK have clashed in a rivalry like no other. These regions do not just play for trophies and titles, they also play for pride and to bring honor to their regions.
Group B should be a free ride for FunPlus Phoenix and arguably for Splyce, as these two are looking like the favorites to move to the next stage. Even though FunPlus is the favorite to take this game, it will show how strong Splyce really is and their potential for the rest of the event.
This clash of the regions will come on Tuesday when Clutch Gaming and Cloud9 will face Korean teams in their respective matches.
Clutch top laner Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon is out for blood, as he wants to take down his former team and anger his former coach. It won’t be an easy task, as Huni and company are going against the best teams at Worlds. Clutch will be looking to make a statement and let every other team at the event know that they are not a free win on the schedule.
All eyes are on Cloud9, a team that always performs at Worlds and made it to the semifinals in 2018. There are many questions around Cloud9: Will they pull off a miracle and make it out of groups? Will they fall flat on their faces and disappoint the region? Group A is closer than it looks, and if there is one team that can upset the standings, it’s Cloud9.
The competition resumes on October 17, and from this point on, every day will be dedicated to an individual group.
Group A, October 17
Group B, October 18
Group C, October 19
Group D, October 20
Check out the full schedule on the LoL Esports official website.
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