Currently, the Swiss stage has passed the halfway mark, and the first names to reach the Quarterfinals of the World Championship (Worlds) 2023 have been revealed, namely JD Gaming and Gen.G – the top contenders for the championship title. However, many strong teams still have a chance to advance, such as T1, LNG Esports, G2 Esports, and Weibo Gaming… The upcoming matches will be highly anticipated and seen as the last opportunities for teams to secure their fate.
But alongside the professional aspect, another noteworthy point is that due to the changed format, Worlds 2023 is clearly attracting viewers. Even before the Swiss stage, many matches already garnered millions of views, as reported by Esports Charts. Notably, GAM Esports currently holds the record for the highest viewership at Worlds in the history of VCS with their match against Gen.G (totaling 1,520,972 views).
However, recent matches in the Swiss round have shown that it is T1, not any other team, that is truly the “view magnet” for Riot, as viewers have assumed for quite some time. According to statistics from Esports Charts, T1 currently holds the top two highest viewership matches of Worlds 2023. The match against Gen.G ranks highest (1,841,726 views), followed by the match against Team Liquid (1,668,603 views). Notably, both matches were BO1. In contrast, the BO3 match between G2 and Gen.G only achieved 1,601,329 views, placing fourth in the top 5.
It can be said that T1 still retains its everlasting allure in the world of League of Legends, even though they are no longer considered a championship contender. Moreover, Riot has also played a part in “buffing” T1 by once again featuring them as the visual for the introduction clip of Worlds 2023. This has even frustrated T1 fans, as JDG and Gen.G, the actual regional champions, were chosen as the contenders for the title at this year’s Worlds.