LEC will send 4 teams to Worlds 2022, and this is why

Global League of Legends competitions have consistently faced logistical hurdles when assembling complete team rosters across multiple seasons. While Worlds 2022 continues this pattern, tournament organizers have implemented crucial adjustments that provide clarity for participating organizations and their supporters well before the event commences.

Riot Games delivered comprehensive details about the championship tournament’s framework and competitive structure. Although many aspects aligned with expectations, one significant development emerged that alters the competitive balance.

The LCL (League of Legends Continental League) will not field any competitors at Worlds 2022. This Russian-based competition, which features popular squad Unicorns of Love, saw its spring season terminated after merely fourteen days. The summer segment never launched, making future participation increasingly improbable.

This vacancy creates an opening in the Worlds 2022 preliminary phase, and unlike previous tournaments, the position won’t remain unfilled. Instead, the LEC secures four qualification spots with placement determined through playoff results. Riot Games justified this decision by noting Europe’s “consistent high-level performances in cross-regional tournaments throughout the previous twenty-four months, despite lacking existing four-team representation.”

Consequently, two European squads will compete in the initial qualification round. This creates substantial challenges for all play-in participants, as qualification for the main tournament bracket now demands overcoming additional elite competition.

Extra LEC Team Makes Worlds 2020 Play-in Harder

Following the confirmation that an additional LEC representative will join the play-in stage, the complete regional allocation appears as follows:

• LPL (China) – Fourth seed
• LCK (South Korea) – Fourth seed
• LEC (Europe) – Third and fourth seed
• LCS (North America) – Third seed
• PCS (Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong) – Second seed
• VCS (Vietnam) – Second seed
• CBLOL (Brazil) – First seed
• LJL (Japan) – First seed
• LLA (Latin America) – First seed
• LCO (Australia) – First seed
• TCL (Turkey) – First seed

Strategic Insight: This distribution creates unprecedented pressure on wild card regions, as they now face three major region teams per group instead of two. Teams from Brazil, Japan, and Turkey must now overcome significantly stiffer competition to advance beyond the initial stage.

Worlds has maintained consistent formatting for its preliminary phase in recent championships. Competing organizations separate into dual groups engaging in round-robin matches. Group assignments incorporate partial randomization while accounting for regional competitive strength demonstrated in recent international competitions.

Squads from identical leagues typically distribute across separate brackets. This ensures each group contains one European team alongside either Korean or Chinese representation. Considering that merely four teams progress from the play-in stage, this represents a significant setback for every participating organization’s advancement aspirations.

Both established major regions and emerging wild card contenders now confront substantially more demanding qualification pathways at Worlds 2020. The additional European presence reduces available slots for unexpected contenders, making Cinderella stories increasingly improbable.

Format Deep Dive: The round-robin structure means each team plays every other squad in their group once. Top performers then advance to elimination matches, where the final four teams secure main event berths. This structure particularly disadvantages regions with less consistent international experience.

The inclusion of additional European competition transforms strategic calculations for every participating region. Major region teams from North America and Asia now face additional hurdles, while wild card regions confront nearly insurmountable odds against triple major region opposition.

For teams aiming to master competitive strategies, understanding these format changes is crucial. Just as in our Class Guide emphasizes strategic adaptation, Worlds participants must now recalibrate their approach to group stage matches.

Common Strategic Error: Many teams underestimate the preparation required for play-in stage diversity. Unlike the main event where teams face familiar regional styles, the preliminary phase demands versatility against multiple competitive approaches.

Worlds 2022 spans from September 29 through November 5, commencing in Mexico City and concluding in San Francisco. The extended tournament duration allows for comprehensive storylines to develop, though the intensified play-in competition may eliminate promising teams prematurely.

Advanced Consideration: The regional strength seeding system means groups aren’t truly balanced. Instead, they’re designed to create competitive matches while ensuring major regions don’t eliminate each other too early.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » LEC will send 4 teams to Worlds 2022, and this is why How Europe's extra Worlds 2022 slot reshapes the competitive landscape and impacts every region's qualification chances