TL;DR
- VCS teams cannot attend Worlds 2020 due to Vietnamese government travel restrictions to China
- Tournament reduced from 24 to 22 teams, creating format complications for play-in stage
- Team Flash automatically qualified, EVOS vs GAM winner loses Worlds opportunity
- Entire event centralized in Shanghai with modified health safety protocols
- Potential for additional regional withdrawals remains as tournament approaches
The 2020 League of Legends World Championship faced inevitable adjustments from the outset, with the most significant being a reduction in participating teams compared to previous editions.
ESPN journalist Tyler Erzberger revealed that LoL Worlds 2020 would include only 22 competing organizations rather than the standard 24-team lineup. This contraction stems from the Vietnam Championship Series (VCS) being unable to dispatch representatives due to governmental limitations on international travel between Vietnam and China for the competition.
Worlds will now be a 22-team tournament with the bowing out of the Vietnamese teams.
Really sucks for the Vietnam fans
I loved going to Vietnam for Worlds last year
The fans there are so damn passionate and they’re one of the fastest growing scenes
Breaks my heart
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire)
September 1, 2020
Neither Riot Games nor VCS officials have issued formal communications regarding this development.
Rather than allocating the vacant positions to organizations from alternative regions, the championship will proceed with a diminished participant count. The specific ramifications for tournament operations remain ambiguous at this juncture.
The VCS Summer Split champion was scheduled for direct group stage qualification, while the second-place finisher would enter the play-in stage. Current uncertainty surrounds whether a play-in contender might receive automatic group stage advancement. The play-in phase now contends with an uneven team distribution, potentially requiring structural modifications to bracket design and scheduling.
Vietnam planned to delegate their top two VCS Summer Split performers to Worlds 2020. Team Flash had already secured their tournament position. The organization currently anticipates the outcome of the lower bracket championship match between EVOS Esports and GAM Esports.
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LoL Worlds 2020 Has Undergone Numerous Changes
The premier esports spectacle of 2020 unfolds under exceptional conditions, though maintaining core similarities to previous iterations. However, the VCS team exclusion represents merely one of several substantial alterations to Worlds 2020.
Instead of distributing tournament phases across multiple venues, the complete event consolidates in Shanghai, China. Rather than conventional arena settings, matches will occur in controlled environments minimizing physical interaction between competing squads. Earlier indications suggested finals might feature live spectators, though the viability of these arrangements remains unconfirmed.
Legitimate concerns exist among League of Legends enthusiasts that additional regions may encounter comparable obstacles when traveling to Shanghai. Future developments will determine if these represent the sole complications encountered.
Action Checklist
- Monitor official Riot Games announcements for format adjustments
- Track VCS team performance and regional development updates
- Review updated tournament brackets and scheduling once released
- Analyze competitive implications of reduced team count on group stage dynamics
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