Considering the stakes at hand, LoL Worlds Rules will be crucial in certain scenarios at LoL Worlds 2024. While the official ruleset is not out yet, we expect it to be similar, if not identical, to the previous year. With the tournament having started on September 25, 2024, the best 20 teams from around the world will compete in Europe.
All the best bookmakers for LoL Worlds will be offering betting markets and promotions for this event, the pinnacle of LoL esports. The champions will be crowned on November 2nd at the O2 Arena in London, England according to the LoL Worlds 2024 rules.
If you plan on betting on LoL Worlds, it would be beneficial for you to be aware of the most important rules for the tournament, especially the reworked format removing LoL Worlds tiebreaker rules.
LoL Worlds Rules and the Tournament Structure
Play-Ins Rules
Play-Ins (September 25 – 29)
The first round of Worlds has eight teams drawn into a double-elimination bracket.
LoL Worlds 2024 rules has all matches here played in a BO3 format, with the four teams that can earn two wins going on to the main event. This is a change from last season, where the play-ins were decided through two four-team groups.
As for the LoL Worlds rules, here are some insights from the Worlds 2024 deep dive blogpost from Riot Games and previous iterations of Worlds rulebooks:
- 8 teams are split into 2 pools.
- Pool 1: MAD Lions KOI, 100 Thieves, PSG Talon, GAM Esports
- Pool 2: SoftBank HAWKS, Vikings Esports, Movistar R7, paiN Gaming
- Pool 1 teams face pool 2 teams in the opening matches:
- MDK vs VKE
- PSG vs PNG
- GAM vs SHG
- 100 vs R7
- Winners’ Matches: BO3 matches where the winning team moves on to Play-In Round 2. Winners in Round 2 move to the Main Event.
- The loser is sent to the Losers’ Bracket as a final chance to avoid elimination.
Elimination Matches: losers of the Opening Matches compete in a BO3 Elimination Match to stay alive in the competition. Winning teams here earn a place in Round 2.
Swiss Stage Rules (October 3-7, 10-13)
The Swiss Stage LoL Worlds 2024 rules feature a 16 Team Swiss System Format. As a new update to the LoL Worlds rules only last year, there’s a lot to understand for those unfamiliar with this competitive format used in other esports.
In the past, Group Stage LoL Worlds tiebreaker rules were rather tough to understand. Once again, this format removes any chance of tiebreakers, simplifying the format compared to previous LoL Worlds tiebreaker rules.
Here’s a quick explanation of the LoL Worlds rules for the Swiss Stage which are vastly different from LoL Worlds Group Stage rules of the past:
- LoL Worlds Side Selection: determined by initial draw pool, higher pool receiving side selection. Where teams drawn from same pool, side selection determined by a coinflip.
- Round 1 – teams are split into four pools. Pool 1 teams are drawn against pool 4 teams and pool 2 teams against pool 3 teams.
- Pool 1: Hanwha Life Esports, Bilibili Gaming, G2 Esports, FlyQuest
- Pool 2: Gen.G, Top Esports, Fnatic, Team Liquid
- Pool 3: Dplus KIA, T1, LNG Esports, Weibo Gaming
- Pool 4: Play-in stage teams
- Rounds 2 to 5 – teams are seeded based on their performance in the previous rounds. All matches which aren’t Elimination and Advancement matches are BO1.
- Elimination matches – teams that reach 3 losses in Swiss are eliminated, regardless of the particular round. Elimination matches are BO3.
- Advancement matches – teams that reach 3 wins in Swiss advance to the Knockout Stage, only the top 8 move on. Advancement matches are BO3.
- Rematches – a new rule for 2024, teams cannot face the same opponent twice
Read more: LoL Worlds Swiss System Explained
Naturally, the quicker teams win their Advancement matches, the better their seeding for the Knockout Stage – the ultimate League of Legends Worlds bracket.
This new format improves over the former LoL Worlds Group Stage rules as matches look to be more competitive. In the past, LoL Worlds Group Stage rules included a number of unbalanced matches.
Knockout Stage Rules (October 17-20, 26-27 & November 2)
From the Bracket Stage (also known as the playoffs stage), the LoL Worlds Rules will be more straightforward and easier to understand – no LoL Worlds tiebreaker rules to worry about.
The top eight teams from the Swiss Stage earn a spot at the Knockout Stage. Teams that advanced with 3-0 records will face those with 3-2 records, and teams with 3-1 records will play against each other.
Here are some LoL Worlds rules to consider for the Knockout Stage:
- Single elimination bracket – each match is BO5, losers are eliminated, winners move on to the next stage
- Side Selection Quarterfinals – in the Quarterfinals teams with LoL Worlds Side Selection Privilege (better Swiss record) can choose side in game 1 – after that losing team chooses.
LoL Worlds Side Selection Semifinals + Grand Finals – after the Quarterfinals, Side Selection Privilege determined by coin flip.
Worlds: Competitive Patch
Aside from having the LoL Worlds 2024 rules explained, we also have to consider the patch that teams will play the tournament in. Riot has confirmed that for this year’s Worlds 2024, the participants will play in Patch 14.18 throughout the whole tournament.
Image Credits: Riot Games