With less than a month to go, the 2024 League of Legends World Championship Play-in stage is fast approaching. Starting on Sept. 25, eight teams will battle it out in Berlin for a coveted spot on the Swiss stage, kicking off the intense road toward the Summoner’s Cup.
This year’s World Championship will take place across Europe, featuring 20 teams competing in three stages: Play-in, Swiss, and Knockouts. The event kicks off on Sept. 25, and as each split concludes, more teams will secure their spot. The stakes are incredibly high—one misstep could mean the difference between advancing to the Swiss stage or going home painfully early.
LoL Worlds Play-Ins format and qualified teams
The Play-in stage of Worlds 2024 is where the journey begins, but just for eight of the 20 qualified teams. They will compete in two double-elimination brackets, where the teams will play in best-of-three matches, and the two teams that go 2-0 will advance to the Swiss stage. Those teams in the lower bracket with a 1-1 track record will go up against each other, with the matches putting up team from the opposing brackets—this Worlds no early rematches.
The teams participating in the Play-in stage are:
- PCS: PSG Talon as first seed and Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming as second seed
- VCS: GAM Esports as first seed and Vikings Esports as second seed
- LLA: Movistar R7
- CBLOL: Decided on Sept. 7
- LEC: MAD Lions
- LCS: Decided on Sept. 1
These teams will fight tooth and nail for a spot in the next phase of the Championship, where the competition will only get tougher.
All Matches for Play-Ins
The Play-Ins matches are structured in a way that every game counts, and therefore, the round one draw show is a crucial step for them to ensure a good matchup. The matches were randomly decided after the 2024 LEC Season Finals in Munich, and we can already tell there will be great matches to open the 2024 World Championship.
Here’s a look at the first round of matches for the Play-Ins:
- MAD Lions vs Vikings Esports
- PSG Talon vs CBLOL first seed
- GAM Esports vs Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming
- LCS third seed vs Movistar R7
These matches set the stage for what will be a thrilling Play-in phase, with each team aiming to secure one of the coveted spots in the Swiss stage. But as the tournament progresses, the excitement will only build, leading to the climactic Grand Finals on Nov. 2 at the O2 in London.
