Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage Round 1 – matches, schedule, and more

With Worlds 2023 play-in stage over, let’s see everything you need to know about round 1 of the newest Swiss stage.

Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage Round 1 – the draws

Worlds 2023 removed the traditional group stage and introduced a new format for the top 16 teams. The Swiss-style tournament will no longer see teams divided into groups, meaning that teams can potentially fight anyone at this stage. There are some limitations, though.

The Swiss stage will have a total of 5 rounds, and in each round, the teams with the same record will play against one another. This works until a team gets two wins or two losses, and then they will have to play Bo3 qualification (or elimination matches).

This works for every round except the first one, where teams are drawn randomly. Following the end of the drawing show, below are the matchups with the corresponding schedule.

Related: LoL 2023 Worlds Power Rankings

Round 1 matchups

Match 1

T1 vs TL – October 19, 07:00 CET

Match 2

C9 vs MAD – October 19, 08:00 CET

Match 3

GEN vs GAM – October 19, 09:00 CET

Match 4 

JDG vs BDS – October 19, 10:00 CET

Match 5

G2 vs DK  – October 19, 11:00 CET

Match 6

NRG vs WBG – October 19, 12:00 CET

Match 7

FNC vs LNG – October 19, 13:00 CET

Match 8

BLG vs KT – October 19, 14:00 CET

Matchups breakdown

For the matchups of Day 1, there are 4 matches fans should be particularly hyped about. Personally, the most exciting match is definitely DK going up against G2. Not only is this an old rivalry from the previous years but it will be a good benchmark for G2 to understand their chances of success at this year’s Worlds.

The second matchup is the battle between KT and BLG. The LCK #3 seed against the LPL #2 seed will give us a better idea of how the two eastern regions are doing one relative to the other. For BLG, in particular, it will be important as most of their players had less preparation considering they were playing for the national team at the Asian Games.

Speaking of LPL, JDG against BDS is also exciting. It might be a stomp, but Adam was definitely one of the protagonists in the play-in stage and him going against 369 is definitely a banger matchup.

The last match is the match against C9 and MAD Lions and it’s specifically for the Westerns fans. This will be the rematch between NA and EU following Golden Guardians’ elimination in the Worlds Qualifying Series. Will C9 be able to get revenge for the LCS? Or will MAD further prove EU is the better region? Find out on Thursday, October 19, as the Swiss stage officially begins.

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