Exciting Matchups in the Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage
Following the conclusion of the Worlds play-in stage on Oct. 15, the 16 League of Legends teams competing in the main event of the tournament were drawn into a Swiss-style bracket ahead of the newly minted Worlds Swiss stage. The Swiss portion of the World Championship will replace the traditional group stage that fans should be familiar with, and will consistently give League fans more high-stakes matchups, as well as a more varied slate of games between teams.
Because the Swiss stage features a new format that ensures teams with the same record will play each other in every round of the stage, we’re guaranteed to get even-footed matches throughout the entirety of the main event. Furthermore, every single match will matter, considering teams will have to play.
Although the Swiss stage’s schedule will continue to evolve throughout the main event of Worlds, the schedule for the first day of the Swiss is set in stone, and man, is it juicy. From inter-regional grudge matches to games between Worlds first-timers, the first day of the Swiss stage should have a little something for everybody.
Exciting Matchups: What to Look Forward to
Dplus KIA vs. G2 Esports
Dplus (formerly DAMWON Gaming/DWG KIA) vs. G2 Esports has quickly evolved into my favorite East-West rivalry in professional League over the last few years, with the two teams playing each other in 10 individual games dating back to 2019. In those 10 games, the two squads are near-even, with Dplus holding a slight six-to-four advantage. This rivalry is one of the most evenly matched battles between any two international squads, let alone two that hail from the East and West.
G2 and Dplus KIA will have battled at four of the last five World Championships after Thursday, and despite the fact that only three players—Canyon, ShowMaker, and Caps—are still present from their first meeting, both organizations have remained elite and are consistently among the strongest threats from their respective regions. If G2 are going to prove that they’re the West’s best hope at Worlds this year, a win against longtime rivals and fellow top-eight contender Dplus KIA on the opening day of the Swiss stage would be one heck of a keynote.
Cloud9 vs. MAD Lions
Cloud9 and MAD Lions have been the equivalent of two ships passing in the night at several international League tournaments, but on the opening day of the 2023 Swiss stage, they’ll meet for the first time in over two years. Since 2021, the C9 and MAD have appeared at four different international tournaments together, but have masterfully dodged one another at nearly all of them.
Historically, the MAD Lions organization is 2-6 against NA teams all-time and the squad has lost nine consecutive games on the international stage dating back to last year’s World Championship. Their Swiss stage match against C9 stands out to us, partially because any EU/NA game is going to be intriguing, but also because MAD Lions’ international woes (especially against NA) make this edition of the inter-regional battle even more weighty.
Bilibili Gaming vs. KT Rolster
While nearly every pundit pencils in JD Gaming as an early grand finalist and every fan hopes for another top-four appearance out of Faker, the two darkest of dark horses out of China and Korea—Bilibili and KT Rolster—will face off on the first day of the Swiss stage. Of all of the games on day one of the Swiss stage, BLG vs. KT has the potential to be the one that finds the sweet spot between two teams who are both seriously talented and of even strength. By no means are these two teams the best from their respective regions, but we expect both of them to be in the mix for the Summoner’s Cup for at least a few weeks.
Bilibili came one match away from winning an international tournament earlier in the year, while KT Rolster came one match away from putting together a perfect record in the LCK regular split. These teams have been knocking on the door of great things all season, and their day-one match could give us an idea of which one of them is closer to accomplishing those great things.
The 2023 Worlds Swiss stage will begin on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 12am CT.
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