Worlds 2023: All teams qualified for League of Legends World Championship

September 15, 2023

by Brian Bencomo

It’s almost time for the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, and all but one of the 22 teams have qualified. The 22 teams are the top teams from regional leagues in China (LPL), Korea (LCK), North America (LCS), Europe (LEC), Southeast Asia (PCS), Vietnam (VCS), Japan (LJL), Brazil (CBLoL) and Latin America (LLA).

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The LPL and LCK will each send four teams, while the LCS and LEC will each send three, and all of these teams will start Worlds in the main event. A fourth team from either the LCS or LEC will qualify via the Worlds Qualifying Series and will have to go through play-ins to get to the main event. All the other regions are sending either one or two teams and will start Worlds in the play-in stage. Two teams from the play-in stage will advance to the main event.

To get you ready for Worlds 2023, here’s a primer on each of the qualified teams.

JD Gaming

Photo credit: Riot Games

Since the establishment of the Mid-Season Invitational in 2015, a team has entered Worlds having won both of their regional splits and MSI twice. In 2018 it was Royal Never Give Up, and in 2019 it was G2 Esports. Both teams fell short of completing the so-called “Golden Road” by winning all four major League of Legends events of the year. Can JD Gaming be the first team to complete the perfect season? JDG have only lost five matches this year, and none of those losses have been in a best-of-five. They have stars at every position, especially Bai "369" Jia-Hao in the top lane and Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk in the bot lane. It feels like the stars are aligning for JDG to become the first Chinese team to win Worlds since FunPlus Phoenix in 2019.

Bilibili Gaming

Photo credit: Riot Games

Bilibili Gaming finished second at MSI, but the loss didn’t discourage them as they went 17-1 in the LPL summer split to finish atop the standings. However, once again they lost to JDG in the playoffs and enter Worlds as China’s third seed. Six of BLG’s seven losses since the LPL playoffs have been to JDG. It seems as though JDG is BLG’s kryptonite. Otherwise BLG have looked good against everyone else. They beat both Korean teams they faced at MSI, T1 and Gen.G, who should be their stiffest competition outside of JDG and LNG at Worlds.

LNG Esports

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This is the only team that has managed to beat Bilibili Gaming this summer besides JDG. LNG finished the LPL summer split in third place and made it all the way to the LPL summer final after beating Bilibili in the lower final. Perennial LPL Worlds contenders Royal Never Give Up (RNG) and EDward Gaming (EDG) did not qualify for Worlds this year, however, two of their former players have helped LNG qualify for Worlds for only the second time in franchise history. Longtime EDG mid laner Lee "Scout" Ye-chan joined LNG in the offseason, and RNG veteran Chen "GALA" Wei joined LNG ahead of the summer split. GALA was a key addition as he had the second-best KDA of any player in the LPL this summer and LNG improved from a 5th-6th finish in the spring playoffs to second in the summer.

Weibo Gaming

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China’s fourth seed at Worlds is perhaps the most surprising team to qualify after finishing in 5th-6th place in both the spring and summer playoffs. Weibo beat both EDward Gaming and Top Esports in the LPL Regional Finals to qualify. This might be the first time Weibo Gaming has qualified for Worlds, but the organization was formerly known as Suning and competed at Worlds in 2020, and the roster is filled with Chinese champions. Top laner Kang "TheShy" Seung-lok was part of the first Chinese team to win Worlds -- Invictus Gaming in 2018. Support Liu "Crisp" Qing-Song was on the FunPlus Phoenix team that won Worlds in 2019. Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao hasn’t won Worlds, but the mid laner is one of only two players who have won MSI three times. He lifted the MSI trophy with RNG in 2018, 2021 and 2022.

Gen.G

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Gen.G are now the three-time defending LCK champions. They won the LCK summer final last year, and both the spring and summer finals this year. Yet, they’re missing an international title as they lost in the Worlds semifinals last year and finished 3rd-4th at MSI earlier this year. Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan has been a revelation in the bot lane. The rookie AD carry won the LCK spring finals MVP, accrued 234 kills this summer (the most ever in the LCK) and was named LCK Rookie of the Year.

T1

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Believe it or not, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok will be competing at Worlds in Korea for the first time in his career. Both previous times that Worlds was held in South Korea (2014 and 2018), Faker and SKT didn’t qualify. With so many heartbreaking second-place finishes in the last year-and-a-half, perhaps this will be Faker and T1’s moment to finally win another trophy. T1 have been runners-up to Gen.G in the LCK finals each of the past three splits and were second at both MSI and Worlds last year. Don’t let T1’s 9-9 record during the LCK summer season fool you. Faker was out recovering from an injury most of the summer, and the team was immediately back to full strength in the playoffs once he returned. The organization formerly known as SKT have won the most world championships with three, but they haven’t won Worlds since 2017.

KT Rolster

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Gen.G and T1 faced off in the LCK summer finals, but neither was the top team in the LCK summer split; it was KT Rolster who lost only once. Perhaps it was a bit of hubris, but as the top seed they chose to play T1 rather than Hanwha Life Esports in the playoffs and got burned. They finished third in the playoffs, but won the LCK Regional Finals to qualify for Worlds as Korea’s third seed. The fan favorite Korean org last made it to Worlds in 2018, which was the last time the world championship was held in South Korea. KT’s entire starting roster was named to the All-Pro first team this summer, and support Son "Lehends" Si-woo was named MVP. The team’s AD carry Kim "Aiming" Ha-ram had a noteworthy split too as he led all players with a whopping 9.1 KDA (his teammate Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong was second at 7.2). The seven-year veteran became the 12th player in LCK history to reach 1500 career kills this summer. He’s the only player on the list who hasn’t competed at Worlds, but that will change this year.

Dplus KIA

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The organization formerly known as DAMWON Gaming and more recently DWG KIA is back at Worlds, but this time as Dplus KIA. The team finished fourth in both LCK splits this year and fifth in both playoffs, however, two wins over DRX and Hanwha Life Esports in the LCK Regional Finals have qualified them for Worlds. Jungler Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu and mid laner Heo "ShowMaker" Su have both been to Worlds each of the past four years having won in 2020 as DAMWON Gaming and been runners-up in 2021 as DWG KIA. The big addition this past offseason was Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu, who was the focal point of DRX’s cinderella world championship run last year. Just like DRX last year, Dplus KIA enter Worlds as Korea’s fourth seed.

G2 Esports

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G2 Esports dominated the LEC this year. G2 won the winter and summer splits as well as the season finals to qualify for Worlds as Europe’s No. 1 seed. In previous years, winning two domestic splits is all you need, but the LEC had three splits this year, and G2 failed to win in the spring. However, they have bounced back in recent months and look head and shoulders above their fellow EU teams when they’re on top of their game. Despite their dominance domestically, international competition is a different story as the team lost to BLG and Gen.G at MSI and finished 5th-6th.

Fnatic

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Death, taxes and Fnatic going to Worlds. For the seventh consecutive year, Fnatic are going to the League of Legends World Championship. Most years it's not a surprise, but it’s hard to believe Fnatic qualified for Worlds this year, and as Europe’s second seed no less. They started off terribly with a 2-7 record in the winter split and finished among the bottom two teams in the league. In the spring, Fnatic were good enough to reach the group stage but finished eighth out of eight teams. In the summer, the team made the playoffs and earned enough points to qualify for the six-team season finals where they made it all the way to the grand final. They’re peaking at the right time and might surprise some teams at Worlds.

MAD Lions

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MAD Lions have become as much of a mainstay at Worlds as G2 and Fnatic in recent years. This will be the organization’s fourth straight Worlds appearance. Their best finish was reaching the quarterfinals in 2021. Only Javier "Elyoya" Prades Batalla and Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság remain from that team. This year, MAD Lions were the champions of the spring split, but haven’t looked nearly as good this summer. The team has lost nine of its last 10 games, but their one win was in the season finals and qualified MAD for Worlds. MAD Lions will look to produce better results internationally after losing 0-3 to both G2 and T1 at MSI.

NRG

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What a way to make a splash in their return to League of Legends. After merging with CLG, NRG made their return to the LCS, won the summer split and will head to Worlds for the first time ever as North America’s No. 1 seed. NRG’s Worlds qualification is the culmination of a multiyear project spearheaded by Thomas “Thinkcard” Slotkin and the coaching and managerial staff that built a competitive team last year with CLG. In the transition, Niship "Dhokla" Doshi, Juan Arturo "Contractz" Garcia and Cristian "Palafox" Palafox remained on the roster, and NRG added Ian Victor "FBI" Huang and Lee "IgNar" Dong-geun. Expectations are low for NRG heading into Worlds, but the team consistently played well against the best teams in the LCS, with multiple victories over Cloud9, Golden Guardians and Team Liquid this summer.

Cloud9

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Cloud9 stumbled at the finish line as they failed to win the LCS for the third consecutive split when they lost to NRG in the summer final. This team is no stranger to the international stage, with Ibrahim "Fudge" Allami, Robert "Blaber" Huang and Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen all veterans who have played at Worlds multiple times in their careers. This will be Kim "Berserker" Min-cheol’s second straight trip to Worlds with Cloud9, while Jang "EMENES" Min-soo -- who got a taste of international play at MSI -- will be making his Worlds debut. Despite the team’s considerable international experience, C9 haven’t produced notable results at Worlds since 2018 when they reached the semifinals. Worlds 2018 also was in Korea, so perhaps C9 can channel some of that energy this year.

Team Liquid

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Despite a poor spring, Team Liquid stuck to the process and mostly kept the same roster for the summer, and the organization’s patience paid off. While the team made a big splash in the offseason by signing 2022 world champion Hong "Pyosik" Chang-hyeon as their jungler, TL also made it a point to promote their homegrown North American talent. TL’s bot laner Sean "Yeon" Sung was named Rookie of the Year, and rookie mid laner Eain "APA" Stearns was a critical addition for this team this summer after replacing fellow rookie Harry "Haeri" Kang. Despite being NA’s third seed, the primarily Korean roster might find a level of comfort playing in Korea that could help them pick up some upsets.

PSG Talon

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After winning the PCS summer final, PSG Talon are back at Worlds for the third time in four years after missing out last year. The team will be looking to crack the top eight for the first time at the world championship. Huang "Maple" Yi-Tang is back at Worlds after a brief sojourn in North America with TSM. The mid laner was a Worlds mainstay with Flash Wolves from 2015 to 2018 and has also competed at the world championship in 2013 and 2021. The veteran mid laner and the team’s young jungler, Yu "JunJia" Chun-Chia, were both named to the PCS All-Pro first team.

CTBC Flying Oyster

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CTBC Flying Oyster are back at Worlds for the second consecutive year. Despite a mediocre 9-9 summer season, Flying Oyster won four consecutive best-of-five series in the PCS summer playoffs to qualify for Worlds. They did lose the summer final to PSG Talon, so they will head to Korea as the PCS’s second seed. The team’s roster is largely the same as last year’s Worlds team, with Hsu "Rest" Shih-Chieh, Huang "Gemini" Chu-Xuan and Chao "Shunn" Ying-Shun all returning to Worlds.

GAM Esports

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GAM Esports have been a cut above the rest of the Vietnamese League of Legends teams for the past few years. With their victory over Team Whales in the VCS summer final, they have now won four straight VCS titles and been the best regular season team each of the last four VCS splits. They have finished either first or second every VCS split since 2019. However, their performance on the international stage has been a different story. Outside of a victory over Top Esports at Worlds last year, GAM have struggled on the international stage. They will look to bounce back at Worlds this year after losing to both Golden Guardians and Movistar R7 at MSI.

Team Whales

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Team Whales formed last year and will be making their first Worlds appearance this year. Three of the players on this roster will be making their Worlds debut, but two players competed at the world championship last year with different teams. Support Trần "Bie" Đức Hiếu went to Worlds with GAM, and jungler Trần "BeanJ" Văn Chính competed internationally with Saigon Buffalo at both MSI and Worlds last year.

DetonatioN FocusMe

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For the fifth time in six years, DFM have qualified for Worlds. The Japanese juggernauts won their sixth consecutive LJL title when they beat the SoftBank HAWKS in the LJL summer final. The team has never progressed to the main event portion of Worlds, and will be looking to improve their international results this year. The team’s roster will largely be familiar to Worlds viewers, with Mun "Steal" Geon-yeong, Lee "Aria" Ga-eul and Yuta "Yutapon" Sugiura all longtime DFM veterans.

LOUD

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LOUD won their third consecutive CBLoL title this summer and are heading to Worlds for the second straight year. Leonardo "Robo" Souza, Park "Croc" Jong-hoon, Thiago "tinowns" Sartori and Denilson "Ceos" Oliveira Gonçalves have formed the core of the Brazilian powerhouse. LOUD have done well for a Brazilian team at both Worlds last year and MSI earlier this year. They went 3-2 during the play-in round robin at Worlds last year before losing to Japan’s DFM. They got revenge in beating DFM at MSI this year before losing to PSG Talon.

Movistar R7

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R7 pulled off one of the biggest upsets at MSI this year when they beat GAM Esports 2-1. It was the first best-of-three series win by a Latin American team in an international League of Legends tournament. R7 returned to LATAM after MSI and finished atop the league during the summer season and then had a relatively easy run through the playoffs with three best-of-five victories where none of the series went to five games. Led by the veteran Sebastián "Oddie" Alonso Niño Zavaleta, R7 will look to improve upon their results at MSI.

Golden Guardians / Team BDS

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One more team will qualify for Worlds and it will be the winner of the inaugural Worlds Qualifying Series, a best-of-five matchup between the fourth seed from North American and the fourth seed from Europe. Golden Guardians will take on Team BDS in Seoul, South Korea, a day before the play-ins start. It’s effectively a play-in for the play-in stage. Golden Guardians made it through play-ins at MSI but didn’t face any European teams. For Team BDS, this will be their first international series this year. They finished second in the LEC spring playoffs to just miss out on MSI.

Lead photo credit: Riot Games