With only a few days left, all domestic tournaments in the League of Legends (LoL) community will conclude. At that point, the representatives from each region participating in the World Championship 2022 (Worlds 2022) will also be revealed. Remarkably, after 2 years of being sidelined due to unforeseen circumstances, VCS teams will have the opportunity to return to the largest international tournament in the LoL scene.
Recently, Riot announced the groups for the Play-in and Group Stage of Worlds 2022. Accordingly, the Group Stage will consist of a total of 4 groups. Group 1 will include the 4 number one seeds from the 4 major regions (LPL, LCK, LEC, and LCS). Group 2 will consist of the number two seeds from the 3 regions LCK, LPL, and LEC along with the number one seed from the PCS region. The champion of VCS Summer 2022 (number one seed from the VCS region) will be grouped with 3 teams that include the number three seeds from LPL, LCK, and the number two seed from LCS.
Because in this 2022 season, the North America region (LCS) has taken the spot from the CIS region (LCL), and with the return of Vietnamese representatives, the total number of participating teams will be 24. Among them, 12 teams will have to compete in the Play-in round for the remaining 4 spots in the Group Stage. The runner-up from VCS Summer 2022 will participate in this Play-in round. The Vietnamese representative has been placed in Group 2 of the Play-in.
The Play-in will be divided into 2 groups, each with 6 teams competing in a round-robin format. The matches in these 2 groups will all be Best of 1. The top 2 teams from each group will advance directly to the Group Stage. The bottom 2 teams from each group will be eliminated. The 3rd and 4th place teams from each group will compete again in a qualifier to determine the final 2 names that will have the chance to participate in the Group Stage of Worlds 2022.
The VCS representatives may face difficulties in this Play-in round. Teams from LPL, LCK, and LEC will certainly be highly regarded. Regardless of which team among EDward Gaming (EDG), LNG Esports (LNG), or Royal Never Give Up (RNG), Victory Five (V5) participates in the Play-in, they will likely outperform the rest.
Not to mention names like Liiv SANDBOX, KT Rolster, or DRX from LCK. Additionally, there are also teams from LEC and LCS. If VCS representatives have to face these “big names” in the Play-in, they will undoubtedly encounter significant challenges. Securing the top spot in the group will be extremely difficult against representatives from LPL and LCK. Meanwhile, if they finish second or in 3rd or 4th place, they will have to play more matches with higher risks.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, the Vietnamese representatives will certainly have to give their best. The World Championship stage has never been easy. But with their demonstrated capabilities, fans can trust that the teams will bring glory to VCS in their return to the highest international tournament of the LoL scene after 2 years of absence.