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League of Legends Worlds 2021: Everything you need to know

(Photo: LoL Esports/Riot Games)
(Photo: LoL Esports/Riot Games)

The League of Legends (LoL) World Championship, more commonly known as Worlds, is an annual international tournament that brings together the best LoL teams in the world to fight for the Summoner's Cup and the title of World Champion.

This year, 24 teams are invited to compete for the title. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions in Vietnam, the two VCS teams cannot compete for the season.

The tournament begins on 5 October in Reykjavik, Iceland. A US$2,225,000 prize pool will be split among 22 teams and the two VCS teams that won't be able to compete.

Here's everything you need to know about Worlds 2021:

Location

The 2021 tournament was initially scheduled to be held in China, but was relocated to Europe because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. As a result, Worlds 2021 will take place in Reykjavík, Iceland, at the Laugardalshöll Indoor Sporting Arena.

Format

This year's format has been adjusted to accommodate 22 teams that will face off in three stages: Play-ins, Groups, and Knockouts.

Play-In Stage

This stage has two rounds that will have 10 teams aiming to reach the Group Stage. These 10 teams will be randomly drawn to form two groups of five.

For Play-Ins Round 1, each team will play one game against every other team in a single round-robin format. The top team in each group will advance to Group Stage. Meanwhile, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place teams will move to the Play-Ins round 2. The bottom teams in this round are eliminated.

Play-Ins Round 2 involves the six remaining teams from round 1. The 3rd and 4th place teams from the same group in Round 1 will face each other. Winners will challenge the other group's second seed for the last two remaining positions.

All matches will be a best of five where two teams will advance to the Group stage, and the other four will be eliminated.

Group Stage

This stage will have 12 other teams that have already been qualified for the Group Stage. These are direct entries from China, South Korea, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia. In addition, the four teams that won the Play-In Stage will join the roster as well, for a total of 16 team teams.

These teams will be split into four groups. Each team will play against every other team in their group twice. The top two teams in each group after that will advance to the Knockout Stage.

Knockout

The Top 8 teams from the group stage will compete in a best of five single elimination bracket, progressing through quarterfinals and semi-finals. At the finals, the last two teams standing will play a best-of-five series. The winner will be crowned the 2021 League of Legend World Champion.

There are also side selection privileges during the Playoffs. In game one, the team with Side Selection Privilege can choose their side. Afterwards, in the next game, the losing team can pick their side.

During the Quarterfinals, 1st place teams from each group will have the Side Choice Privilege. Then choosing which team gets the side selection privilege in the succeeding matches will be done through a coin flip.

Prize Pool

The total prize pool for Worlds 2021 is US$2,225,000, which will be distributed to the 22 participating teams and the 2 VCS teams that are unable to compete. Here's a breakdown of the prize pool for Worlds 2021:

  • World Champion: US$489,500 (25%)

  • 2nd place: US$333,750 (17.5%)

  • 3rd to 4th: US$178,000 (9%)

  • 5th to 8th: US$100,125 (4.5%)

  • 9th to 12th: US$55,625(2.5%)

  • 13th to 16th: US$50,062 (1.5%)

  • 17th to 18th: US$38,937 (1%)

  • 19th to 20th: US$27,812 (0.75%)

  • 21st to 22nd: US$22,250 (0.6%)

Participating Teams

Past international performance is a factor in determining a region's seeds. As a result, some or all of the seeds from strong regions qualify for the Group Stage directly, while others get fewer slots or must participate in the Play-In Stage.

Teams qualified for the Group Stage are:

  • Edward Gaming (LPL/China)

  • FunPlus Phoenix (LPL/China)

  • Royal Never Give Up (LPL/China)

  • DAMWON Gaming (LCK/South Korea)

  • Gen.G (LCK/South Korea)

  • T1 (LCK/South Korea)

  • MAD Lions (LEC/Europe)

  • Fnatic (LEC/Europe)

  • Rogue (LEC/Europe)

  • 100 Thieves (LCS/North America)

  • Team Liquid (LCS/North America)

  • PSG Talon (PCS/Southeast Asia)

Teams qualified for the Play-Ins are:

  • Beyond Gaming (PCS/Southeast Asia)

  • Cloud9 (LCS/North America)

  • DetonatioN FocusMe (LJL/Japan)

  • Galatasaray Esports (TCL/Turkey)

  • Hanwha Life Esports (LCK/South Korea)

  • Infinity Esports (LLA/Latin America)

  • LNG ESports (LPL/China)

  • PEACE (LCO/Oceania)

  • RED Canids (CBLOL/Brazil)

  • Unicorns of Love (LCL/CIS)

Tournament Schedule

Worlds 2021 will run from 5 October through 6 November. The schedule of the stages are as follows:

  • Play-in Stage: 5-9 October

  • Group Stage: 11-13 October; 15-18 October

  • Knockout Stage: Quarterfinals: 22-25 October

  • Semifinals: 30-31 October

  • Finals: 6 November

Where to Watch Worlds 2021

For the safety of all staff and players involved, there will be no live audience for this year’s world championship tournament. However, followers of Worlds 2021 can watch the matches live on lolesports.com and the official Twitch and Youtube channels of Riot Games.

For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page and Twitter.