Cover-Credits:
Right after the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) 2022 Summer Championship conclusion at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, Riot Games hosted the Draw Show for Worlds 2022, one of the most exciting tournaments. Worlds 2022 is just right around the corner and regions across the globe have finished their respective summer splits and have determined their representatives for the World Championship. Worlds 2022 Play-in is the first stage of the tournament and winners from here will make it to the group stage. A total of 12 teams are competing in the Worlds 2022 Play-in and were drawn into two groups of six.
Here’s everything you need to know about Worlds 2022 Play-in as the tournament officially kicks off on 29th September.
A guide to Worlds 2022 Play-in
Worlds 2022 Play-in is the first stage of Worlds 2022 and marks the conclusion of the 2022 League of Legends competitive season across all regions. A total of twelve teams will participate in this opening stage and teams will be drawn into two groups based on seeding. The play-in has two rounds – the group stage and the knockout stage.
Format
Group Stage (Round 1)
A total of 12 teams will participate
Matches are single round-robin
The top team from each group directly advances to the Main Event
The teams placed second to fourth in the two groups will advance to Round 2 of the Play-in.
Knockout Stage (Round 2)
Third place teams from the group stage face the 4th place team from the same group
The winners of these matches face the second place team from the opposite group
The winners of these final matches advance to the Main Event of Worlds 2022
All matches in the knockout stage are best-of-five (BO5)
Groups
After the Draw Show on 12th September, the following are the two groups in the Worlds 2022 Play-in stage:
Group A
Group B
Each region usually sends one team into the Worlds Play-in stage but this time around Europe has the liberty to send two: Fnatic and MAD Lions since the League of Legends Continental League (LCL) is not in contention due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The LEC (League of Legends European Championship) squads were placed into different groups since they cannot be placed in the same group due to the regional restriction rules. Additionally, Riot Games made an exception to its rule this year. It wrote in a release, “In the scenario where both the LEC 3rd and 4th seeded teams advance to the Group Stage, the 4th seeded team will not be subject to our rule preventing a Group from having more than one team from the same region in it. In the scenario where either LEC team is eliminated from the competition during the Play-In Stage, the rule will remain in place.”
Worlds 2022 Play-in: Schedule
Worlds 2022 Play-in begins on 29th September and will conclude on 4th October. The times mentioned in the article reflect PST and are subject to change in accordance with the broadcast.
Day 1 - 29th September
Day 2 - 30th September
Day 3 - 1st October
Day 4 - 2nd October
Day 5 - 3rd October: Elimination Round (BO5)
Day 6 - 4th October: Qualification Round (BO5)
