2023 League of Legends World Championship

2023 League of Legends World Championship
Tournament information
GameLeague of Legends
LocationSouth Korea
DatesOctober 10–November 19
AdministratorRiot Games
Tournament
format(s)
  • 8 team GSL-style double-elimination bracket play-in stage
  • 16 team swiss stage
  • 8 team single-elimination bracket from quarterfinals onward
Venue(s)
4 (in 2 host cities)
  • Seoul (play-ins, swiss stage, final)
  • Busan (quarterfinals, semifinals)
Teams22
Final positions
ChampionT1
Runner-upWeibo Gaming
Tournament statistics
Attendance18,000 (Finals)[1]
MVPChoi "Zeus" Woo-je (T1)
← 2022
2024 →

The 2023 League of Legends World Championship was an esports tournament for the multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends. It was the thirteenth iteration of the League of Legends World Championship, an annual international tournament organized by the game's developer, Riot Games. The tournament began in South Korea on October 10 until November 19.[2] Twenty-two teams from nine regions qualified for the tournament based on their placement in regional circuits;[3] defending champions DRX[4] failed to do so after losing to Dplus KIA in the 2023 LCK Regional Finals.[5][6] JD Gaming were in contention to become the first team to complete the "Golden Road"[a], but lost to eventual champions T1 in the semifinals of the knockout stage.[7]

"Gods" (stylized in all caps), performed by NewJeans, was announced as the tournament's theme song.[8][9] A virtual boyband named "Heartsteel" (stylized in all caps) was unveiled by Riot Games during the event, with Baekhyun from Exo and SuperM, ØZI, Tobi Lou and Cal Scruby representing the group as its human counterpart and in the live performance of their debut song, "Paranoia".[10]

The final took place on 19 November 2023 at the Gocheok Sky Dome, where T1 defeated Weibo Gaming by a 3–0 score, marking the organization's record-extending fourth World Championship.[11][12] The event's concurrent viewership reached a peak of 6.4 million viewers, breaking the all-time viewership record for a single esports event, not accounting for Chinese viewership.[13]

  1. ^ "Korea's T1 win record fourth League of Legends world title". The Korea Times. Agence France-Presse. November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  2. ^ Nicholas Taifalos (July 10, 2023). "LoL Worlds 2023: Dates, location, tickets, and more". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Worlds 2023 Primer". Riot Games Esports Media Center. September 14, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Shannon Liao (November 5, 2022). "DRX beats T1 to win 2022 League of Legends World Championship". Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Mateusz Miter (August 25, 2023). "3-time LoL Worlds finalist fails to qualify for 2023 tournament after LCK Finals disappointment". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Paik Ji-hwan (August 28, 2023). "Dplus KIA, KT Rolster top LCK regionals to earn ticket to Worlds". Korea Joongang Daily. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Anna Bernardo (November 12, 2023). "League of Legends Worlds 2023: T1 defeat JDG 3–1 to face Weibo Gaming in the Grand Finals". Yahoo News. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Tom Daniels (September 27, 2023). "K-pop group NewJeans to perform League of Legends World Championship anthem". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  9. ^ Charisma Madarang (October 4, 2023). "NewJeans Immortalize 'League of Legends' With 'Gods' Championship Anthem". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Tom Daniels (October 23, 2023). "Riot Games unveils new League of Legends virtual music group HEARTSTEEL". Esports Insider. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Mary Yang; Paik Ji-hwan (November 19, 2023). "T1 take down Weibo Gaming 3–0 to win LoL Worlds in Korea". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  12. ^ "Korea's T1 win record fourth League of Legends world title". The Korea Times. November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  13. ^ Tom Daniels (November 20, 2023). "League of Legends World Championship 2023 breaks esports viewership record". Esports Insider. Retrieved November 21, 2023.


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