League of Legends’ Worlds format is changing, but still no double elimination

Riot has announced changes are coming to League of Legends’ big international events, MSI and Worlds, starting in 2023. However there won’t be double elimination brackets despite fan support for the system.

League of Legends’ tournament system has changed with the times, but the current iteration has lasted the longest.

On the international stage teams climb from the bottom in Play-Ins for a hope to lift the Summoner’s Cup or the MSI title. They do so through a cut-throat mix of round robins and single-elimination brackets.

However as other games have evolved their esports scenes to increase international events, as well as implement features like double-elimination, League has been relatively stubborn.

Riot are changing things in 2023 though with “new formats coming for MSI and Worlds”, in the words of global head of League of Legends esports, Naz Aletaha.

“When we heard the feedback last year, we took this season to really dive into it and assess what parts of the format were working, what parts could use improvements, and work with our regional teams around the world to beat up what these formats can and should be.

“I’m not going into exactly what these will be today, but we will be able to announce that by the start of the season.”

The scale of the changes isn’t entirely known, but Riot ruled out one thing from the start: double elimination.

The comeback brackets will not feature at international events as Riot believes in having the stakes as high as possible at every opportunity. One slip up, and dreams are dashed.

“We do think double elimination is great for qualifying the best teams into our biggest tournaments, but at the end of the day Worlds is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet,” John Needham, Riot’s president of esports said. “All of the biggest sporting events have single-elimination as a core part of their tournament.

“At least from Knockouts forward we will be continuing with single elimination as that puts the stakes at the very highest level. We believe that’s important for a tournament as big as Worlds.”

Exact changes for League of Legends’ esports ecosystem will be revealed in the coming months. For now, all eyes are on the Worlds 2022 final between T1 and DRX, taking place on November 5.