The 2018 League of Legends World Championship kicks off on October 1st in Seoul, South Korea. Here’s everything you need about League’s biggest, most prestigious competitive event.

What is the World Championship?

The League of Legends World Championship (also known as Worlds) is a yearly international tournament that brings together the top teams from each league in a battle to hoist the Summoner’s Cup and earn the title of World Champion. The event moves between host regions each year; this year, teams will battle it out on a tour of four cities across South Korea.

When is Worlds happening?

Worlds begins with the Play-In Stage on October 1st and concludes with Finals on November 3rd. Individual stage dates are listed below.

Which teams are competing?

A region’s seeds are based on past international performance. Consistently strong regions send some or all of their seeds straight to the Group Stage, whereas other regions receive fewer seeds and/or start in the Play-In Stage. More information on seeding and qualification methods is available in the Worlds 2018 Qualification Guide.

Korea (LCK)

• First seed: kt Rolster
• Second seed: Afreeca Freecs
• Third seed: Gen.G

China (LPL)

• First seed: Royal Never Give Up
• Second seed: Invictus Gaming
• Third seed: Edward Gaming

Europe (EU LCS)

• First seed: Fnatic
• Second seed: Team Vitality
• Third seed: G2 Esports

North America (NA LCS)

• First seed: Team Liquid
• Second seed: 100 Thieves
• Third seed: Cloud9

Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao (LMS)

• First seed: Flash Wolves
• Second seed: Mad Team
• Third seed: G-Rex

Brazil (CBLoL)

• KaBuM! e-Sports

Commonwealth of Independent States (LCL)

• Gambit Esports

Japan (LJL)

• DetonatioN FocusMe

Latin America North (LLN)

• Infinity eSports

Latin America South (CLS)

• Kaos Latin Gamers

Oceania (OPL)

• Dire Wolves

Turkey (TCL)

• Bahçeşehir Supermassive

Southeast Asia (SEA)

• Ascension Gaming

Vietnam (VCS)

• Phong Vũ Buffalo

What’s changed for 2018?

Vietnam (VCS) is competing as an independent region for the first time at Worlds, and will have their own slot at Worlds, separate from SEA. They’re off to a good start – as the highest-ranking of the one-seed regions at MSI, their team will advance directly to the Group Stage.

What’s the format?

Worlds is composed of three stages: the Play-In Stage, the Group Stage, and the Knockout Stage (Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals).

Play-In Stage: 10/1-10/4; 10/6-10/7 Seoul

12 teams are drawn into four groups. Each group plays a Double Round-Robin (each team plays all others twice), Best of 1 series.

The two highest-ranked teams from each group advance to Play-In Knockouts, where the first-place teams from each group are paired with second-place teams from another. These matches will determine the 4 Play-In teams that move on to the Group Stage.

Group Stage: 10/10-10/17 Busan

16 teams – 12 that qualified for the Group Stage directly, and 4 from the Play-In Stage – are drawn into four groups. Each group plays a Double Round-Robin, Best of 1 series.

The two highest-ranked teams from each group will move on to the final leg of the tournament, the Knockout Stage.

Interested in how groups are selected for the Play-In and Group Stages? Check out the Worlds 2018 Draw Show Guide and tune in for the Draw Show on September 23 at 5:00 AM PT.

Knockout Stage: 10/20-10/21; 10/27-10/28; 11/3 Busan, Gwangju, Incheon

8 teams move on to the Knockout Stage, which encompasses Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals. For this stage, the tournament transitions to a single-elimination bracket with all matches played in a Best of 5 format. Matchups are decided by an on-stage draw before each day of play begins. The team that comes out on top will become the 2018 World Champions.

How do I watch?

You can catch all the action on lolesports.com!