League of Legends teams preparing for World Championship in North America
Teams from around the world are heading to North America for the League of Legends World Championship, which starts tomorrow. Although some squads have already arrived in Mexico City and New York, G2 Esports and other European teams have not made the trip across the Atlantic yet.
G2 jungler Jankos explains team’s absence in New York
Jankos, the jungler for G2, revealed in his personal livestream today why his team hasn’t traveled to New York. According to him, the hotel in New York is not yet ready for European teams, which is why G2 and Rogue cannot go.
“We wanted to go around this time, as well, but we were not allowed to,” said Jankos. “From my understanding, the hotel in New York is not ready for European teams, and that is why us and Rogue can’t go.”
G2 and Rogue qualify directly for World Championship group stage, while other European teams start at play-in stage
G2 and Rogue secured their spots in the group stage of the World Championship by finishing first and second, respectively, in the LEC summer playoffs. On the other hand, MAD Lions and Fnatic, the other two European teams, will start their Worlds journey at the play-in stage in Mexico City. These two teams have already arrived in Mexico, and their first games will be played tomorrow, Sept. 29.
G2’s flight details undisclosed
Jankos did not disclose the schedule for G2’s flight to North America as he was uncertain whether he could share that information on his livestream.
“If we were to go on our own, we’d be allowed,” Jankos stated. “So let’s say we book our own hotel, we get our own PCs. That is possible. But, from my understanding at least, our flight is booked on a later date and we can’t go yet.”
Other qualified teams, like T1, have already arrived in North America and are participating in Champions Queue, an invite-only, high-stakes, solo-queue-like experience that emulates the competitive game environment.
The play-in stage of Worlds will begin in Mexico City tomorrow, while the group stage is set to start on Oct. 7. G2 and the other group stage teams have nine days to arrive in North America and begin practicing before the main tournament begins.
Related: Jankos wants League’s Champions Queue to become even more exclusive
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