League of Legends World’s 2023 – Schedule, Prize Pool, Teams and more!

The World Championship stands as the ultimate showcase of League of Legends esports. Annually, top teams from around the world come together to compete for the coveted title of world champion and the prestigious Summoner’s Cup, widely regarded as one of the most recognizable trophies in the esports industry.

In the context of Worlds 2023, this competition returns to South Korea, a host nation that previously staged the latter stages of the 2014 edition and the entire 2018 event. Notably, this edition of the tournament reverts to having a single host nation, as the 2022 competition spanned across Mexico and the United States.

Worlds 2023 has arrived, and in the lead-up to the Play-Ins, Team BDS secured the final qualification spot through the Qualifying Series played the day before. They achieved a decisive 3-0 victory over Golden Guardians, defying the expectations of many who had favoured the North American representative.

Here is an overview of all the key details you need to know.

 

Location and How to Watch

 

In order to accommodate the participation of LoL Esports professional players in the Asian Games hosted in Hangzhou, China, the 2023 World Championship is scheduled to take place later than its typical dates. The tournament is set to occur between October 10 and November 19, spanning across four distinct venues in South Korea. Here are the list of venues and dates:

• Play-Ins: October 10-15 (LoL Park, Seoul)
• Group Stage: October 19-29 (KBS Arena, Seoul)
• Quarter-finals: November 2-5 (Sajik Indoor Gymnasium, Busan)
• Semi-finals: November 11-12 (Sajik Indoor Gymnasium, Busan)
• Finals: November 19 (Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul)

 

You can watch all the action unfold on the official Riot Games Twitch channel.

 

Format and Teams

 

The 2023 World Championship is set to showcase the skills of 22 teams representing various parts of the globe. The competition’s kick-off will take place during the Play-In Stage, where lower-ranked teams will engage in fierce battles, vying for two coveted spots in the Swiss Stage. In this next phase, they will unite with the 14 seeded teams, each hailing from the major regions, namely LCK, LPL, LCS, and LEC.

Play-In (October 10-15):

Round 1:

• 8 teams are split into two double-elimination groups.
• Top 2 teams from each group advance to Play-In Round 2.
• All matches are BO3.

Round 2:

• The upper bracket winner from each group faces the loser bracket winner from the other group.
• Both matches are BO5, with the winners advancing to the Swiss Stage.

Swiss Stage (October 19-29):

• 16 teams compete in a five-round Swiss stage.
• In the first stage, teams are randomly paired with an opponent from another region. After that, teams face opponents with the same win-loss record.
• Teams that win 3 matches move on to playoffs.
• Teams that lose 3 matches are eliminated.
• Progression and elimination matches are BO3. The remaining matches are BO1.

Playoffs (November 2-19):

• 8 teams compete in a single-elimination bracket.
• All matches are BO5.

 

The 22 teams will consist of 5 players each, below you can see the following teams & players.

Swiss Stage Teams:

Play-In Stage Teams:

 

Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest updates on the tournament.