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Thirty-two players from all over the globe have qualified to compete at the Central Hall in Westminster across three days of action. One will walk away with a top prize of $200,000 and a trip for two to the next FIFA Best Awards.
The competition is a long-running one, starting back in 2004. Over the years, it has seen many individual winners with just two players, Alfonso Ramos of Spain and Bruce Grannec of France, ever winning the title twice. Ramos won his in 2008 and 2012, while Grannec also won his over a period of four years in 2009 and 2013. The current champion is Denmark’s Mohamad Al-Bacha.
It’s currently Day Two of the tournament, and the qualifiers will then convene on Aug. 18 for the Final Showdown.
On Wednesday, the 32 players were split into four groups of eight (two groups for each console type.) Each player in the group playing the others once. The top four in each of the groups qualified for the second stage.
The 16 players to make it through the group stage were:
- Group A (Xbox) – Codyderfinisher, Gorilla, Aman, Janoz
- Group B (Xbox)– Rockyy, FilthyP94, Joey, Dani
- Group C (PS4)– IcePrinsipe, Nicolas99FC, Timox, Deto
- Group D (PS4)– Maniika, LucasRep98, Mo_Aubameyang, Timon
This has left us with the following quarterfinal matches for each console group:
Xbox Quarterfinals (2 Legs – Aggregate score winner)
- IcePrinsipe vs. Timon
- Nicolas99FC vs, Mo-Aubameyang
- LucasRep98 vs, Timox
- Maniika vs, Deto
PS4 Quarterfinals (2 Legs – Aggregate score winner)
- CodyderFinisher vs. Dani
- Gorilla vs. Joey
- FilthyPS94 vs. Aman
- Rockyy vs. Janoz
Bet365 is offering a wide range of bets on both legs of these quarterfinal games.
League of Legends Summer Playoffs begin across the globe
After a lengthy league schedule (which has finished in all but the Chinese qualifier, which is entering its last few league matches as I type), the teams that have qualified for the playoffs are known. In some cases, the Summer Playoffs are already underway.
With the Chinese Summer Playoff lineup not yet decided, let’s take a look at the three other main qualification events.
North American LCS Summer Playoffs
An exciting Summer Split saw Team SoloMid and Immortals qualify for the Summer Playoffs as the top two seeds. Both sides had 14-4 records, but Team SoloMid’s better game-winning ratio saw them seize the top seed.
They were joined in the Summer Playoffs by Counter Logic and Cloud9 (both 12-6), Team Dignitas (11-7), and Team EnVyUs (8-10).
This means Cloud9 and Team Dignitas will face off in the first quarterfinal, while the second will be between Counter Logic Gaming and Team EnVyUs. The two winning teams will progress to the semis where the lowest remaining seed will take on top-seeded Team SoloMid. The highest remaining seed will face Immortals.
Currently, Bet365 has Team SoloMid as the even-money favorites to win the Summer Playoffs outright, with Immortals a 3/1 shot, Counter Logic Gaming at 6/1, Cloud9 13/2, Team Dignitas 12/1, and Team EnVyUs the 25/1 outsiders.
European LCS Summer Playoffs
Fnatic topped Group A with H2k Gaming edging out Unicorns of Love in Group B to claim the top spots in the European LCS Summer Split. Splyce claimed the final qualification spot in Group B, with G2 Esports and Misfits doing likewise in Group A.
This leaves us with two quarterfinals between Unicorns of Love and Misfits, while G2 Esports take on Splyce. The winners of these games will go on to face Fnatic and H2k Gaming in the semis.
Bet365 currently has Fnatic as the 11/10 favorites to claim the trophy, with G2 Esports a 3/1 shot and H2K rated at 10/3 chances. Unicorns of Love are an 8/1 shot, with the outsiders being Splyce at 20/1 and Misfits at 25/1.
Korean LCK Summer Playoffs
After a massively exciting LCK Summer Split, current world champions SK Telecom T1 could only squeak into the playoffs in fourth place. Longzhu Gaming and KT Rolster took the top spots with 14-4 records, ahead of Samsung Galaxy and SK Telecom T1 at 13-5. Afreeca Freecs claimed the fifth spot with a 10-8 record, but they are clearly the underdogs in one of the most evenly contested Summer Splits in years.
The first playoff game in the Korean section already took place. SK Telecom T1 defeated Afreeca Freecs as expected, prevailing 2-0. They then faced a tough match against Samsung Galaxy but once again showed their true class by winning 3-0.
Now, they face a second playoff round against KT Rolster. The winner of that game will take on the top-seeded Longzhu Gaming in the final. Can SK Telecom T1 do the unthinkable and win every single round to claim the LCK Summer Playoff title once again?
Bet365 thinks so. SK are the new 10/11 favourites. Longzhu Gaming are a 7/4 chance, and KT Rolster are a 9/2 shot.
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