The second round of Play-Ins is wrapping up, and the remaining teams are looking forward to an action-packed continuation of the 2021 League of Legends World Championship. The Group stage kicks off on 11 October, and will run through to the 18th.
Only 16 teams will make it this far, and just eight will continue their fight in Knockouts — join us for a quick Play-In recap and preview of what’s to come next!
2021 LOL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP — PLAY-IN RECAP
Newly reformed LNG Esports took the Worlds challenge head-on and did not budge from their comfortable spot at the top of the standings. With a strong 4-0 run, the Chinese team is headed for Group D, where they’ll face MAD Lions, Gen.G Esports and Team Liquid. In the second Play-In group, DetonatioN FocusMe pushed all the right buttons and secured the seed with a 3-1 run.
NA’s Cloud9 and Korea’s Hanwha Life Esports ranked second in their groups and will proceed to Round 2 Finals, where they’ll compete for one of two remaining Groups seeds. Infinity and Unicorns of Love had a hard time getting out of first gear and couldn’t find the magic touch when it mattered most, leaving the competition at 0-4 and 1-3, respectively.
➤ Meanwhile, PEACE, RED Canids, Galatasaray Esports and Beyond Gaming are desperately trying to push through the Round 2 semi-finals and stay in the running for the 2021 Summoner’s Cup. Only two matches remain, the winners of which will go up against Cloud9 and Hanwha in Round 2 Finals.
2021 LOL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP — GROUP STAGE
The four surviving teams will join 12 direct seeds in Groups; the teams will be split into four groups of four, competing for the eight available Knockouts spots. The first Groups matchup is between DAMWON Gaming and FunPlusPhoenix at 13:00 CEST (BST+1), and the stage will conclude on 18 October.
GROUP A — DAMWON Gaming, FunPlus Phoenix, Rogue, TBD.
GROUP B — EDward Gaming, 100 Thieves, T1, TBD.
GROUP C — PSG Talon, Fnatic, Royal Never Give Up, TBD.
GROUP D — MAD Lions, Gen.G Esports, Team Liquid and LNG Esports.
GROUP STAGE FORMAT
- Teams that qualified through Play-Ins join 12 direct-entry seeds from China, South Korea, Europe, Southeast Asia and North America.
- All matches are Double Round Robin, Bo1.
- Top two teams in each group advance to Knockouts.
- The bottom two teams in each group are eliminated.
2021 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Group Stage: 11 – 18 October
Knockout Stage: 22 October – 6 November
Grand Final: 6 November
WHERE TO WATCH THE 2021 LOL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
For the latest League of Legends World Championship broadcast schedule, VODs and standings, head to lolesports.com. All World Championship matches will be streamed live, with multilingual casters, analysts and interviewers.
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BETTING
Want to back your favourites in the 2021 World Championship? Head to our Sportsbook for the latest League of Legends odds and betting markets. The Group stage will definitely bring heat to the Laugardalsholl arena; here are the matches you don’t want to miss:
The first matchup in Groups will be an explosive opener — 2020 Worlds winners DAMWON Gaming, at 51/50 (2.02) to win, are going up against 2019 champions FunPlus Phoenix, who are at 7/9 (1.77) to rise from the ashes and fly high. The battle of legends commences at 13:00 CEST on 11 October.
On 12 October at 19:00, Gen.G Esports are heading into the fray at 6/7 (1.85) to win the match against Europe’s MAD Lions, who are at 9/10 (1.90) to bite back and taste victory. MAD and Gen.G are also due for a rematch on 18 October — let’s see who brings the best form!
Fnatic join the tournament after an impressive Summer showing; it seems like the recent roster changes are panning out rather well! Fnatic are heading into Groups at 5/9 (1.55) to win the bout against PSG Talon, who are at 7/5 (2.40) to shred the European team and take the match on 13 October.
LV BET
Stay up to date on the latest League of Legends news and tournaments with LV BET, your one-stop shop for all your sports betting needs, and tune in to the LV BET Sportblog for more on esports, live sports and all the biggest competitions of the year.
*Odds subject to change. Odds correct at time of publishing.