On September 22nd (Vietnam time), the draw results for the League of Legends (LoL) event at the upcoming ASIAD in Hangzhou were announced. Accordingly, the two teams that Vietnamese LoL fans are most interested in during the group stage are Vietnam and South Korea, both placed in relatively “easy” groups. In fact, for Vietnam, fans are even dreaming of a “silver dream” that looks very promising at this ASIAD.
However, one aspect has disappointed LoL fans: South Korea is almost certain to face the host nation China in the semifinals. This is because South Korea’s opponents leading up to the semifinals are Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, and in the quarterfinals, Saudi Arabia. These three opponents are nearly incomparable to Faker and his teammates, both in skill and fan confidence. Meanwhile, China will be waiting in the quarterfinals, and their opponents, whether Thailand or Macau, are not a significant concern.
Yet, experts and fans of the LPL do not have faith in the team’s ability to reach the semifinals. According to a survey conducted with 24 prominent experts and KOLs in the LoL scene (such as Fionn, Jankos, YamatoCannon, commentator Wolf…), only 9 believe that the host nation will win the gold medal. Meanwhile, 15 chose South Korea. LPL fans themselves even painted a scenario: “LPL will only win the Bronze Medal.”
The reason for this unpredictable scenario comes from the fact that if Chinese Taipei wins against their opponent in the semifinals, they will automatically advance to the finals and are almost guaranteed a top 2 finish. Meanwhile, if China loses to South Korea, they will have to contend for the bronze medal.
The low evaluation of LPL comes from its players, as the two pillars of JD Gaming (JDG) in LPL are Kanavi and Ruler (both currently representing South Korea). Meanwhile, Jiejie and Elk certainly cannot compare to their counterparts. Not to mention, 369 has previously lost to Zeus at Worlds 2022 while Chovy and Knight are currently on par. Both mid-laners rarely perform well on the international stage. However, Knight has the advantage of having broken the “zero titles” curse on the international stage after winning MSI 2023.
Of course, all predictions are merely speculative until the matches take place. But it can be said that, despite being the host nation, LPL faces numerous challenges in its upcoming crucial tournament.