LoL Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage – Draw, format, and more

Following the end of the play-in stage, here are the draw results of the first-ever Swiss stage at Worlds 2023, alongside everything you need to know about the new format.

Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage – Explained

For the first time ever, the top 16 teams at Worlds 2023 will have to go through a Swiss-style stage. Compared to previous years, the top 16 teams won’t be placed into four different groups. Instead, teams will have the chance to play against anyone, depending on how well they perform.

While we won’t get exciting groups of deaths, the new Swiss format gives us the chance to witness matches between teams from the same regions (aside from the first round) and make cross-regional matches more exciting, as the seeding does not really matter apart from the initial draw.

After each round, teams will face other teams with the same record only, meaning that teams with strong results will face teams of similar level and teams with worse results will have the chance to make a comeback. There will be a total of five rounds, and teams that win two matches will advance to the Qualification matches, where they will have to play a Bo3 to qualify for the Knockout stage (top 8). Likewise, teams with two losses will have to fight for survival in the elimination Bo3 matches.

In total, there will be 20 Bo1 games, and 13 Bo3 matches, guaranteeing high stake action throughout the entire stage.

Top 16 teams and their pools

Pool 1: GEN, JDG, G2, NRG
Pool 2: T1, BLG, FNC, C9
Pool 3: KT, LNG, MAD, TL
Pool 4: DK, WBG, BDS, GAM

The pool (or seeding) is used to choose the Round 1 matchups. Teams from Pool 1 will face teams from Pool 4, while Pool 2 teams will go up against squads from Pool 3. It’s worth noting that for the first round, there will be no match between teams from the same region (for example, two LPL teams cannot go against one another). Below are the round 1 matchups following the Swiss stage draw made on October 15. 

Related: LoL 2023 Worlds Power Rankings

Round 1 matchup

Match 1: GEN vs GAM
Match 2: NRG vs WBG
Match 3: G2 vs DK
Match 4: JDG vs BDS
Match 5: T1 vs TL
Match 6: C9 vs MAD
Match 7: BLG vs KT
Match 8: FNC vs LNG 

How will the Swiss stage work round by round

Round 1

Teams will begin the first round of the Swiss stage by playing against the drawn team from a region other than their own in a Bo1 match.

Round 2

In the second round, the 8 teams with a 1-0 record will clash against one another, with the other 8 losing teams playing in the four remaining matches.

Round 3

In round 3, there will be 4 teams with 2-0 records (undefeated), 8 teams with 1-1 records, and 4 with two losses on the board. These three groups will play against teams from the same category. In this phase, the best four teams will play a Bo3 series, with the winners moving to the knockout stage.

The same thing will happen to the losing teams. Teams with 1-1 scores, instead, will still face Bo1s. The two teams that lose from the elimination matches will end their journey at Worlds.

Round 4

With two teams already advancing to the next round, and two eliminated, there will be a total of 12 teams left. According to the Swiss stage, there will be six teams at 2-1, who will all face each other in best-of-three matches in the qualification matches. The other six teams with 1-2 records will also play in best-of-threes, with the losing teams eliminated from Worlds.

Round 5

In the last and final round, six teams with 2-2 scores will be left. They will all have to play Bo3 matches, and the three winners will join the remaining five teams in the Knockout phase.

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