Riot Games changes 2020 Worlds Championship format

Due to the coronavirus and the absence of Vietnamese teams from the main League of Legends tournament, the organizers of the championship decided to change the format. This only applies to the Play-In stage and the group stage.

The number of participants was reduced from 24 to 22, and 10 squads will play in Play-In instead of the initially expected 12. Teams will fight each other in two groups of five participants according to the Round Robin system.

The teams that take 1st place will immediately go to the playoffs, and the teams that took the last positions in their groups will leave the competition. The squads, which are on the 2-4 lines in their groups, will continue the struggle, where 2 more participants in the final stage of the 2020 Worlds Championship will be determined.

The original idea of holding the group stage in the double Round Robin format had to be abandoned due to the fact that the participants had time to play in additional Bo3 matches.

The 2020 Worlds Championship starts on September 25 and ends on October 31. Initially, the organizers wanted to host the League of Legends World Championship in three locations, but after the outbreak of the coronavirus, they decided to limit themselves to China. The championship will be held in Shanghai, and the tournament will be held at the Pudong Soccer Stadium. Teams from Vietnam have been restricted from entering China due to the coronavirus.