League of Legends Worlds 2023: 5 teams to look out for at Worlds 2023

The 2023 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship is almost upon us. From 10 October to 19 November, 22 teams of the best LoL teams from all across the globe will be going head-to-head in a battle to lift the Summoner’s Cup this year.

What’s even more exciting (and partly scary for both the teams and the fans) is that this year's Worlds format has changed. This is the first year that Worlds will be using the Swiss Format in the second round of the competition instead of the Group Stage.

That only means that there will be no room for any mistake, and anyone can get eliminated from the competition. This also may give a window for incredible Cinderella runs like DRX did from the Play-ins all the way to the Grand Final to become the 2022 LoL World Champions.

Which teams have the potential to make it through and become this year’s World Champion? Here are the 5 teams you should look out for at Worlds 2023.

JD Gaming

JD Gaming is clearly the frontrunner this year. They've already secured the LoL Professional League (LPL) Spring and Summer Championships, and they also came out on top in the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational.

The team is undoubtedly stacked with talent that really gel together to make things happen. They have the best jungler of the season so far in Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok, and former Gen.G legend Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk as the AD Carry, both of whom have performed exceptionally well and won gold for South Korea at the 19th Asian Games LoL medal event.

On top of this, their top laner, Bai “369” Jiahao, has only gotten better every season and competition, as well as Zhuo "knight" Ding, who was the MSI 2023 and LPL Summer Finals MVP.

Will JD Gaming repeat history and eliminate all LoL Championship Korea (LCK) teams on their own turf? Will they be the first team to walk the golden road and win two regional and two international championships in a year? Or will they once again falter and be eliminated by T1?

T1

Many fans, including myself, are still rooting for the G.O.A.T. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and his merry band of T1 teammates, which have been so fun to watch, even off stage.

The team had three members participate at the 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou, with Faker playing mid during the Group Stage, Choi “Zeus” Woo-je in the top lane and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok as one of the best Support players this season, to win gold for South Korea.

Despite their prestige, T1 has been experiencing one heartbreak after another since 2022: so close to claiming the MSI 2022 title only to be beaten by Royal Never Give Up (RNG), then finally get the rug pulled from under them after Gen.G won their first Championship title in years.

Most importantly, they were so close to winning Worlds last year in a heart-stopping match against underdogs Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu and the rest of DRX. We all know how that went, no one had perfect Pick-em’s last year.

This tale continued through 2023: Second place in the LCK Spring and then third place at MSI.

T1 then struggled in the LCK Summer Season, when Faker had to take a break due to an injury — then bounced back at the playoffs…only to get their hearts broken again with a second-place finish against Gen.G.

With so much pressure on their shoulders and the high probability of the roster splitting up after this season, will Worlds 2023 be Faker and T1’s redemption arc?

Gen.G

Gen.G is a strong team full of promise — mostly led by Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, who is considered to be one of the best mid laners in the World.

The team had to overhaul their bot lane this year with Ruler transferring to JDG in the LPL and Son “Lehends” Si-woo moving to KT Rolster.

However, the team has been dominant all year, having swept both the LCK Spring and Summer Championship titles. None of these efforts, however, have made it to the Grand Finals on the International Stage.

Will this be the year they break the curse and finally lift the Summoner’s Cup?

Bilibili Gaming

Bilibili Gaming (BLG) are another strong contender for the title this year.

They have a stacked roster with two strong former members of JD Gaming in Zeng "Yagao" Qi in the mid lane and Chen "Bin" Zebin in the top lane.

BLG have also been consistently contesting and threatening JDG’s titles, however, met with no success so far.

Will they be able to face their demons and overcome LPL's giants in JD Gaming? Or will they crumble from the pressure and shrink back, like they did at the LPL Summer playoffs?

G2

G2 are the only Western team that makes our list of teams to watch out for at Worlds. The LoL EMEA Championship (LEC) and the LoL Championship Series (LCS) have always been struggling against their Eastern counterparts, but once in a while, certain teams like G2 give us hope.

Their mid laner, Rasmus "Caps" Borregaard Winther, is one of the mid laners that we say can confidently face off against Faker and Chovy.

French player Steven "Hans Sama" Liv, the team's AD Carry, also has been proving to be a force to be reckoned with, especially during the Summer season.

With a bit more practice and a lot more confidence and emotional stamina, they can take on the LPL and LCK teams and repeat history — make it to the Worlds Grand Finals like at Worlds 2019, which coincidentally took place in South Korea.

Dark Horses: Dplus, KT Rolster, Fnatic

There are also potential dark horses like Deft’s current team Dplus (former DAMWON KIA gaming), KT Rolster, the LCK regular season’s top team, and Fnatic, who has a scary ADC in Oh "Noah" Hyeon-taek.

We’re also still holding out hope for the Play-ins teams — especially GAM Esports, Whales, PSG Talon, and CBTC Flying Oyster.

If DRX can take on gods to win the title last year, what's stopping other teams from pulling off a surprise or two of their own?

Which team are you rooting for at Worlds 2023? The 2023 LoL World Championship will kick off with the Play-ins on 10 October 2023. For everything you need to know about Worlds 2023, check here.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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