Worlds 2022 likely won’t have a double elimination bracket
The tournament format for LoL Worlds 2022 won’t include a double elimination bracket despite fans asking for it for years.
League of Legends Worlds 2022 is right around the corner. With 4 slots for the LPL, LCK, and LEC, many fan favorite teams from the best regions in the world will clash in different locations all across the US. However, a lack of change when it comes to the format of the event itself has some fans disappointed.
In a post by Reddit user CantComprehendLogic, they point out the current schedule doesn’t leave any room for a Worlds 2022 double elimination format. Their points are as follows:
“The groups seem identical just from the dates alone. If there were major changes (such as BO3s in groups), it would take a few more days.”
“Everything is put on weekends again. There seems to be a huge wait again between BO5s. Obviously this is not really possible in a BO5 double elim format.”
The way things are currently laid out also means that there will be one single BO5 Grand Final in San Francisco, meaning that there will only be 3 BO5 matches in total over the course of the final 2 weeks.
Upsides and downsides
Sentiment for a double-elimination format comes from the idea that not all brackets are created equal. For instance, if the perceived best team in the world beats the perceived second best team in the world in the Semifinals, the Grand Final may lose some of its impact.
On the other hand, scheduling a double elimination bracket adds a lot of broadcast time, travel expenses, and effort from the players involved who could have many additional games to play. There are certainly two sides to this argument. And, if we’re going by the set dates for Worlds, Riot’s stance is clear.
League of Legends international tournaments are certainly no stranger to criticism from the LoL community. MSI 2022’s format was infamous in the community, and, while Worlds 2022’s format is a bit closer to what these fans want, many are still left disappointed with the lack of change from the 2021 World Championship.