The League of Legends World Championship is the biggest tournament in League, bringing together talented individuals and teams who have worked hard to secure their spot at Worlds 2022. These teams train with high-quality staff and advisors, and the matches often come down to small details. Sometimes, tiebreakers are needed to settle matches between teams with similar mindsets.
Tiebreakers are commonly used in the League scene to determine which teams move on to the next phase. Worlds 2022 has its own set of tiebreaker rules for different situations.
Play-In stage tiebreakers:
The Play-In stage consists of two groups of six teams playing in a best-of-one round robin format. In case of a tiebreaker, the matches will be held immediately after the final game of the Play-In group stage.
The first factor used to determine the winner of tiebreakers is Total Game Victory Time. Teams that beat their opponents the fastest will have an advantage. If Total Game Victory Time is the same for all teams, victory game time in the Play-In stage will be considered.
In a two-way tie, two teams will play a single match to determine who proceeds to the next stage. Tiebreakers won’t be held if two teams are competing for a non-consequential spot.
For a three-way tie, the head-to-head record will be considered. If each team has a combined record of 1-1 against every other team, the two slowest teams play one tiebreaker match. The winner of the second tiebreaker proceeds to the Play-In Knockout stage. If one team has a 2-0 score in a three-way tie, they immediately secure a spot in the next stage.
Four-way ties will be determined by a best-of-one single-elimination bracket based on Total Game Victory Time. The third-place match is not played in this scenario.
Five-way ties will be decided based on Total Game Victory Time. The team with the lowest Total Game Victory Time will secure the highest seed in the group, and the other teams will play a single-elimination bracket. The third-place match is not played in this scenario.
Play-In Knockout stage tiebreakers:
The Play-In Knockout stage automatically advances the highest placed teams to the Group stage. Teams in third and fourth place play a best-of-five match to determine who will face the second-placed team in another best-of-five match. The winners secure a spot in the Group stage.
Group stage tiebreakers:
The Group stage consists of a best-of-one double round robin among 16 teams divided into four groups. Tiebreaker matches will be played immediately after the Group stage ends.
The first tiebreaker is the head-to-head record. If teams are tied in head-to-head, and they are tied for first or second place, they will play one best-of-one match. Other tiebreakers in the Group stage won’t be played.
In three-way ties, the head-to-head standings are considered. If all teams have the same score in head-to-head, the two teams with the highest Total Game Victory Time play a tiebreaker. The winner of the second tiebreaker secures a spot in the next round.
Four-way ties will be decided via a single-elimination bracket based on game victory time for each team.
Bracket stage tiebreakers:
After the Group stage, the top two teams from each group move on to an eight-team bracket. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals are all played in a best-of-five format, with the winners advancing to the next round.
Since all matches in the Bracket stage are best-of-fives, tiebreakers are not needed.
So, the tiebreaker scenarios are straightforward and easy to understand.