Let the games begin
Credit: Tina Jo/Riot Games/via ESPAT
2022 League of Legends World Championship: Group Draw Results
- Riot Games have drawn the groups ahead of the 2022 World Championship’s group stage
- The play-in groups, where Fnatic and others will play, are also known
- If all European teams reach the main event’s group stage, LEC’s #4 seed can be drawn into a group with another European team
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship’s participants have secured their tickets, and the time has come for Riot Games to draw them into groups. Then, from Sep. 28 to Nov. 5, teams will fight for the LoL Worlds trophy, and one will succeed EDward Gaming as the World Champion—unless EDG wins back-to-back.
This is how the 2022 LoL Worlds Group stage draw unfolded
Riot Games drew the groups after the conclusion of the 2022 LCS Championship on Sep. 12 @ 1:00 CET / Sep 11 @ 4 pm PST on the LCS broadcast, and it went as follows:
Main event group stage
Group A
- Cloud9 (LCS)
- T1 (LCK)
- EDward Gaming (LPL)
- Fnatic (Play-ins)
Group B
- JD Gaming (LPL)
- G2 Esports (LEC)
- DWG KIA (LCK)
- Evil Geniuses (Play-ins)
Group C
- Rogue (LEC)
- TOP Esports (LPL)
- GAM Esports (VCS)
- DRX (Play-ins)
Group D
- Gen.G (LCK)
- CTBC Flying Oyster (PCS)
- 100 Thieves (LCS)
- Royal Never Give Up (Play-ins)
News coverage of the 2022 Worlds group stage is available here.
We will add the schedule at a later date, after the group draw, and once Riot Games reveals it on the LoL Esports page.
Play-in groups
Group A
- Fnatic (LEC)
- Beyond Gaming (PCS)
- DetonatioN FocusMe (LJL)
- Evil Geniuses (LCS)
- LOUD (CBLoL)
- Chiefs Esports Club (LCO)
Group B
- DRX (LCK)
- Royal Never Give Up (LPL)
- Saigon Buffalo (VCS)
- MAD Lions (LEC)
- Istanbul Wildcats (TCL)
- Isurus Gaming (LLA)
News coverage of the 2022 Worlds l stage is available here.
For more details on how each team made it here, please refer to the list of teams by chronological qualifying order.
Regional team seeding and its impact on the drawing process
According to Riot Games’ group draw procedures, teams are divided into four pools—both in the main event and in the play-in stage. In previous years, teams from the same region would be drawn into different groups.
However, Worlds 2022 is different: in the absence of the CIS region, Europe received four seeds at Worlds, two of which will go to the play-ins.
If both European teams in the play-ins qualify for the main event’s group stage, no groups would be “legal” by previous norms; so, Riot Games has decided that EU’s fourth seed would not count for that rule in the 2022 LoL World Championship’s group stage.
Main event
Teams in the main event are considered to be the “true” World Championship group stage participants. Four groups are drawn with the following rules:
- Except for one specific scenario, groups cannot have more than one team from a specific region
- Groups feature one team from each “Pool.”
The pools are as follows:
Pool 1
- LCK #1 seed: Gen.G
- LPL #1 seed: JD Gaming
- LEC #1 seed: Rogue
- LCS #1 seed: Cloud9
Pool 2
- LCK #2 seed: T1
- LPL #2 seed: TOP Esports
- LEC #2 seed: G2 Esports
- PCS #1 seed: CTBC Flying Oyster
Pool 3
- LCK #3 seed: DWG KIA
- LPL #3 seed: EDward Gaming
- LCS #2 seed: 100 Thieves
- VCS #1 seed: GAM Esports
Pool 4
- Play-in Group A winner: Fnatic
- Play-in Group B winner: DRX
- Play-in decider winner: Evil Geniuses
- Play-in decider winner: Royal Never Give Up
Play-in stage
The 2022 LoL World championship’s play-in stage has two groups of six teams. This time, two teams from each pool are drawn into either group.
Pool A
- LCK #4 seed: DRX
- LPL #4 seed: Royal Never Give Up
- LEC #3 seed: Fnatic
- PCS #2 seed: Beyond Gaming
Pool B
- LEC #4 seed: MAD Lions
- LCS #3 seed: Evil Geniuses
- VCS #2 seed: Saigon Buffalo
- LJL: DetonatioN FocusMe
Pool C
- LLA: Isurus Gaming
- CBLoL: LOUD
- LCO: Chiefs
- TCL: Istanbul Wildcats
The top team of each group advances directly to the main event’s group stage. The second, third and fourth teams of each group are involved into a bo5 bracket stage, after which two more teams advance to the group stage.
