League of Legends World Championship 2021: dates, location, teams, and operation

Lucky7Bonus told you about it last week in the eSports article about the League of Legends EU Masters Grand Final, the League of Legends World Championship will start in Europe very soon.

Today we're going to take a look at the past of this League of Legends World Championship, also known as "Worlds", to get a better understanding of what is at stake for the big teams. Then we'll talk about how the 2021 Worlds works, as the championship is different compared to previous years, and finally we'll talk in more detail about the teams that are expected to compete in this competition and that you can bet on.

This year's World Championship will start on October 5 and the final will take place on November 6 in Hall A of Laugardalshöll Stadium in Reykjavik, Iceland. Initially, everything was supposed to take place in China, but Riot Games had to adapt in order to bring all the players to the competition. The visas were difficult to obtain for China and the health restrictions were far too important. Instead, Riot Games turned to Europe to ensure that the event would take place in the best possible conditions for players from all teams around the world.

Riot Games succeeded in holding the MSI 2021 at the same location in Reykjavik, but in Hall B. As a result, no health problems during the whole event and with a record of 23 million viewers worldwide. As for the MSI, the Worlds do not welcome any public on site to respect the instructions related to the sanitary crisis and in particular to keep a good image with the public and the sponsors.

The History of League of Legends Worlds

Since 2011, Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, has been organizing the annual World Championship to determine the best teams from around the world. The first edition took place in Jönköping, Sweden, where the European team Fnatic won its only cup to date.

In the following years, it was the Korean players who largely established themselves as the leaders of the international scene. Fearsome teams with a clear lead over their opponents. The most famous team SK Telecom T1 or "SKT1" won the League of Legends World Championship title 3 times in 2013, 2015, 2016. You probably know them from one of the best players of all time, midlaner Lee Sang-Hyeok aka Faker.

In other years, new teams have been able to take center stage, including Samsung Galaxy, the other Korean team, and Invictus Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix, the two Chinese teams. As you can see, there are hardly any European or North American teams that manage to win the ultimate title on League of Legends.

Even when the Worlds were held in the U.S., most notably in 2016, U.S. teams have always struggled to climb the rankings. The most well-known and supported are the American teams Team SoloMid and Cloud9, which have made it to the Worlds semi-finals a few times.

As for the Europeans and French players, you'll have to look at the Fnatic team, which won the first World Championship and regularly reached the finals or semi-finals of the competition. French players who have made their mark on League of Legends have played for this mythical team. This is the case of Paul Boyer, alias sOAZ, who made his mark on the international scene with his excellent performances with the Fnatic team. Today, he is a coach for the LDLC OL team with Yell0wStaR, another legendary player.

Bora Kim aka Yell0wStaR is clearly the French legend on League of Legends, he is support in the game, but especially team leader, to set up strategies and manage his team in the middle of the game. He started his adventure in 2011 with the AaA, Millenium and Fnatic teams, to join the PSG team at the end of 2016. Finally, he continues his career today as a coach. His record? In 2015, he led the Fnatic team to a total of 18 wins for 0 losses during the Summer Split.

How the 2021 League of Legends Worlds works

A few explanations are necessary to follow the 2021 League of Legends World Championship, and Lucky7Bonus is offering you a little insight into what's going to happen in the coming weeks. There are three stages for teams to qualify and reach the finals of the competition:

Phase 1 - The qualifications (Play-in): this is the first stage which will take place from October 5 to 9. During the qualification phase, 10 teams will have to compete. The teams will be separated into two groups of five. There are only 4 spots to be unlocked for the next stage. The teams will play a game against each of the other teams in their group. For the final two spots, the third and fourth place teams will have to win a game in three winning sets, the winner will then have to play the second place team from the other group, to determine the final two spots. A quick look at the 10 teams in this phase:

• Cloud9 (North America);

• PEACE (Oceania);

• Galatasaray Esports (Turkey);

• Infinity Esports (Latin America);

• Unicorns of Love (Commonwealth of Independent States);

• Beyond Gaming (Southeast Asia);

• LNG Esports (China);

• Hanwha Life Esports (Korea);

• DetonatioN FocusMe (Japan);

• RED Canids Kalunga (Brazil);

Phase 2 - The Main Event: This is the second stage of the League of Legends World Championship, which runs from October 11 to 13 and October 15 to 18. Exactly 16 teams (including the 4 winners of the qualification phase) will compete in four groups of four teams. Each team will face a team of its group, the 2 best teams in a group will be able to reach the direct elimination phase. Here are the 12 teams already selected to participate in this group phase, in addition to the 4 future winners of the qualification phase:

• Korean teams: SKT1, DWG KIA and Gen.G.

• Teams from Europe: MAD Lions, Fnatic and Rogue.

• Teams from China: Royal Never Give Up, FunPlus Phoenix and EDward Gaming.

• North American teams: Team Liquid and 100 Thieves.

• Southeast Asian teams: PSG.Talon Esports

Phase 3 - The Final: Only 8 teams remain at the end of the group phase. These teams will compete in a single elimination format with three winning rounds to reach the quarterfinals, the semifinals and finally the finals. The last team to win its BO5 will be awarded the title of League of Legends World Champion 2021. This is the ultimate prize for all players.

Teams Expected to Perform

We've been talking about it a lot lately, and for good reason: Fnatic is expected to be on the League of Legends World Championship stage to test the talents of French player and toplaner : Adam.

After a meteoric rise with the Karmine Corp during the French and then European Championships, young player Adam quickly made a name for himself, lecturing all his opponents in toplane. Very quickly, he was integrated into the European Fnatic team where he recently led his team to victory in the EU Masters, becoming European champion and offering Fnatic a place in the World Championship.

Fnatic players have already qualified for the second group stage at the Worlds and will be facing the legendary League of Legends teams of recent years. This puts a lot of pressure on young Adam, who will be taking his first steps at the Worlds. Will he be able to lead his team as far as possible?

Of course, the other expected teams are those coming from the Asian continent: the legendary T1 with notably Faker in midlane. Rogue with the excellent Larssen in midlane or the incredible Santorini, the jungle of Team Liquid. Be careful not to underestimate the Chinese teams, who have won the last championships in recent years. So who are you going to support during this League of Legends 2021 World Championship? If you want to watch the games from home, we strongly recommend that you do so via OTP's Twitch channel, where you'll find the best French commentators, so you can experience the atmosphere of the League of Legends event of the year at 100%.

Where to bet during the League of Legends World Championship 2021?

To support your team even more and experience the thrill of the League of Legends 2021 World Championship, you can easily place bets on your favorite team. It's as easy to set up as a soccer match. Lucky7Bonus recommends that you place your bets through one of our partners, who will offer you an exclusive deal when you register.

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