Today, G2 Esports emerged victorious in the final series of the domestic section of the 2023 League of Legends season. They defeated Fnatic in a convincing 3-0 sweep to claim the 2023 LEC Season Finals championship. With the World Championship just around the corner, the play-in stage brackets were quickly drawn following the LEC finals.
The play-in stage will mainly feature teams from minor regions, although there will also be one major region squad—the eventual winner of the Worlds Qualifying Series—participating in the initial stage of the tournament. The VCS and PCS will each send two teams to the Worlds play-in stage, while the LLA, CBLOL, and LJL will only send one team each.
This year, only two teams will advance from the play-in stage and secure a spot in the Worlds main event. This raises the stakes higher than ever before.
Let’s take a look at the brackets for this year’s Worlds play-in stage.
Worlds 2023 play-in stage draw results
Worlds Play-ins Bracket A matchups
- GAM Esports vs. LOUD
- PSG Talon vs. Movistar R7
Worlds Play-ins Bracket B matchups
- Team BDS / Golden Guardians vs. Team Whales
- CTBC Flying Oyster vs. DetonatioN FocusMe
The Worlds 2023 play-in stage will kick off on Oct. 10, with the tournament unofficially starting on Oct. 9 with the Worlds Qualifying Series. The best-of-five match between Team BDS of the LEC and Golden Guardians of the LCS will determine the final representative in the Worlds play-in stage. This EU/NA grudge match will take place in Bracket B, where Team Whales awaits the winner.