2023 League of Legends Worlds to be held in Seoul, Busan

The League of Legends World Championship returns to Korea this year for the first time since 2018, with matches to be held in both Seoul and Busan in October and November.

Gocheok Sky Dome [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

The League of Legends World Championship returns to Korea this year for the first time since 2018, with matches to be held in both Seoul and Busan in October and November.

The 2023 Worlds will be held at three separate venues at Seoul and one in Busan, culminating at Gocheok Sky Dome, the home of the Kiwoom Heroes, in western Seoul.

The Play-In Stage, a pair of four-team double-elimination brackets that act as preliminaries for the tournament, will be held at the LoL Park in Jongno District, central Seoul, from Oct. 10 to 15.

The two qualifying teams from the Play-In Stage will then join the 14 other prequalified teams for the five-round Swiss Stage, which pits teams with the same win-loss against each other until they achieve either three wins or three loses. The Swiss Stage will be held at the KBS Arena in Gangseo District, western Seoul, between Oct. 19 and 29.

The tournament will then head south to Busan for start of the knockout stage, consisting of quarterfinals and semifinals, at Sajik Indoor Gymnasium from Nov. 2 to Nov. 12. Finally, the world final, a best-of-five between the two semifinal winners, will be held at Gocheok Sky Dome on Nov. 19.

Korea has previously hosted the LoL Worlds in 2018 and 2014. Busan also played hosts to last year’s Mid-Season Invitation, one of the biggest LoL events of the year. That tournament was held at BEXCO in Busan.

Korean teams enter the tournament in a good position, having taken three of the top four spots at last year’s Worlds, with Korean team Gen.G finishing fourth, T1 second and DRX crowned champion.

This year’s tournament was slightly delayed from the normal September start to allow time for the Asian Games, to be held in Hangzhou, China, from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. League of Legends is one of seven Esports that will be competed at the Games.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]