Worlds 2023 schedule, format, and qualified teams

William Davis Published 09/08/2023

The 2023 League of Legends World Championship is the biggest and final event of the year in professional play. 22 teams from all over the world will compete for the trophy every League of Legends player dreams about, the Summoner’s Cup.

No matter the team or the region, they all share the common goal of winning Worlds. For all the qualified teams, it is the culmination of a year’s worth of work. Regardless of what happened during the year, once Worlds rolls around, it is all that matters.

In 2023, the event returns to South Korea, home of the defending champion DRX, who still is yet to qualify for the event. Will the Summoner’s Cup stay in South Korea? We’ll know on November 19.

Worlds 2023 location and schedule

Worlds 2023 is scheduled from October 10 through November 19.

Play-In Stage

The Play-In Stage, also known as Stage 1, will be played from October 10 through October 15 at the LoL Park – LCK Arena in Seoul.

Swiss

For the first time in history, Worlds is using a Swiss format. This part of the event will run on two different blocks. The first part will run from October 19 through October 23, and the second part from October 26 through October 29. All of these matches will take place at the KBS Arena in Seoul.

Knockout

The third and final stage is the Knockout stage. Quarterfinals are scheduled for November 2 through November 5. Semifinals on November 11 and 12. This stage will be played in the Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan.

Finals will take place on November 19 at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

Worlds 2023 format

Worlds 2023 will use a new format in an attempt to guarantee that every match matters.

Play-In Stage

This year, teams from the LCK and LPL will not be starting in the Play-In Stage. LEC and LCS teams will compete in the Worlds Qualifying Series 2023, where eight teams are competing for one final slot at Worlds.

In the Play-In Stage, eight teams compete in two double-elimination brackets. In the first round, all matches are best-of-three, and the final will be a best-of-five series. Two teams will advance to the next stage.

Swiss

In the Swiss Stage, every game matters. Round one starts with all 16 teams randomly seeded into a best-of-one game.

From that point forward, teams with the same score will face each other. Teams who complete the first two rounds with a 2-0 score will play on a best-of-three series to determine the first and second place from the Swiss Stage.

Teams with a 2-1 score will play to determine third, fourth, and fifth place. In the final chance, teams with a 2-2 score will compete for sixth, seventh, and eighth.

Knockout

Despite the fans pleading to get a double elimination bracket, the Knockout Stage remains the same. Eight teams compete in a single elimination bracket to determine the champion. All matches are best-of-five.

Worlds 2023 qualified teams

Twenty-two teams will qualify for the event. The LPL and LCK will have four representatives each, all starting in the Swiss stage. LCS and LEC will have three teams in the Swiss Stage. One of these regions will have a fourth team in the event, determined by the Worlds Qualifying Series.

The Play-In Stage will have two teams from PCS and two from VCS. One team from LJL, CBLOL, and LLA.

LPL

As the 2023 Summer Split Champion, JD Gaming claimed the first seed for the LPL. Bilibili Gaming secured its spot at the event thanks to the accumulated Championship Points, claiming second seed. LNG Esports had to fight through the Region Finals to get the third seed in the event. Weibo Gaming claimed the fourth and final seed in the event.

All four are remarkable teams with the capacity to make it all the way to finals. The first rounds in the tournament will be decisive for the LPL teams. All eyes are on the MSI champion, JDG, who just won back-to-back domestic titles.

JDG is on its way to making history and becoming the first team to win four titles, two domestic and two international, in the same year. Of course, the rest of the LPL opponents are as impressive as the summer champion.

BLG is the underdog you cannot discount, as proved in MSI. LNG can go head-to-head with the best. It took JDG to game five, after all, and is looking to snatch its first international title.

Weibo Gaming might be a new name to Western fans, but its roster includes the top laner that never goes out of style, Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok.

LCS

It’s been an interesting year for the LCS. Between teams leaving the region for good and organizations scrapping their entire Academy teams, it feels like the LCS is on the brink of collapse. Although, when you think about it, doesn’t it feel like that every single year?

Cloud9 has qualified for the event. No surprises there. Cloud9 has looked good during the regular season, except for those moments where they took experimentation too far.

NRG, formerly known as CLG, decided to keep the roster that did well in the spring and the gamble is paying off. NRG was the definition of middle of the pack during the regular season, finishing in fifth place. In playoffs, NRG is shining brighter than any other team. After defeating Team Liquid, NRG annihilated Golden Guardians, securing its spot at Worlds.

Team Liquid returns to Worlds with a new roster and a new vision. The team, which earlier this year bet on an all-Korean roster, finally found its footing. Team Liquid’s roster was described as a Summer roster, meaning that it needed time to come together. It finally happened and the result is one of the most competitive rosters the organization has had in the past few years.

Golden Guardians is flying out to South Korea, but their spot in the tournament is not guaranteed. As the LCS’ fourth seed, the team must play against the LEC’s fourth seed in the Worlds Qualifying Series. The winner will start in the Play-In Stage.

Now the question remains, how will the LCS teams perform in the new format? Historically, LCS teams are always one game away from making it out of groups, so Riot Games went ahead and removed the group stage. Is this the year of the LCS?

LCK

After an intense weekend, the first and second LCK seeds have been determined. As the 2023 LCK Summer Champion, Gen.G has claimed the first seed, while runner-up T1 took the second seed.

The LCK teams are always the ones to watch, and not even the underdogs should be underestimated. Look at 2022 DRX and its miraculous Worlds run.

T1 is, to no one’s surprise, in good condition. Despite the poor performance against Gen.G, T1 remains one of the strongest teams in the LCK. Perhaps, losing yet another final against Gen.G will be the motivator this roster needs to win a Worlds title.

Gen.G reigns supreme in the LCK, that much is not up for debate. Historically, Gen.G has performed well enough at international events. Not great, not terrible, just good enough for a sensible fourth-place finish. Is this the year Gen.G does a little more? We’ll have to wait and see.

LEC

After an experimental year with a new format and a longer competition than usual, the LEC has decided its representatives. G2 Esports, MAD Lions, and Fnatic are the three teams with a spot secured.

While all three teams deserve credit for their achievements throughout the year, G2 is the one that stands out. G2 earned two out of the three LEC season titles in 2023. On the Summoner’s Rift, G2 is unstoppable. In comparison with the rest of the LEC teams, G2 seems to be on a different level. Fans have been quick to pick G2 as the only hope of Europe in the event.

Team BDS is the fourth and final team in the event. Its spot at Worlds is not secured. For the first time, the fourth seed from LEC and the fourth seed from LCS will play the Worlds Qualifying Series. It will be a best-of-five series that will determine what team claims the final slot in the Play-In Stage.

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