Here is how the Worlds Group and Play-In Stage teams are sorted

Worlds 2022 is going to be lit.

The League of Legends World Championship is set to take place in a few weeks and we now have the finalised groupings for both the Play-In and Group Stage. This was done after the end of the LCS and LEC championship weekends, which saw Cloud9 and Rogue perform clean 3-0 sweeps over 100 Thieves and G2 Esports respectively.

With that said, we now have the finalised groupings for all 24 teams with 12 having made it to the group stage and the other 12 in the play-in stage. Also, for the first time, the LEC received four slots to Worlds after the LCL had been put on hold indefinitely. Here is what the groupings will look like:

Group Stage

Group A

• Cloud9
• EDward Gaming
• T1
• TBC

Group B

• DWG KIA
• G2 Esports
• JD Gaming
• TBC

Group C

• GAM Esports
• Rogue
• Top Esports
• TBC

Group D

• 100 Thieves
• CTBC Flying Oyster
• Gen.G
• TBC

The most interesting would be group A with C9, EDG, and T1 all being grouped once again like back in Worlds 2017. T1 finished at the top of the group with C9 in second whilst both EDG and ahq e-Sports Club were eliminated. This time though, all three teams are looking solid heading into Worlds 2022. It all depends on who shows up on the day.

Group B also looks enticing with the likes of Worlds 2020 winners, DWG alongside the likes of G2 and JD. While G2 lost out to Rogue in the LEC Summer Split grand finals, JD managed to take out Top in a series that went to all five games. Meanwhile, DWG got eliminated in the semifinals of the LCK Summer Split playoffs but still managed to pull through via the LCK Regional Finals where they defeated SANDBOX Gaming in the upper bracket final.

We will also see a return of the VCS titans, GAM Esports after missing out on the past two world championships due to travel restrictions. It will be interesting to see just how well GAM will perform on the international stage. Aside from dominating the VCS, GAM was also successful in the recent 31st SEA Games. Of course, they will have their hands full with LEC Summer Split champions, Rogue and Top, who made it through championship points.

Gen.G has also been a high-flying team in the LCK this season, coming in second in the Spring and winning the Summer Split in style against T1. Its roster for this season has been nearly unstoppable and they will be looking to make an impact at Worlds. The likes of 100T and Flying Oyster will have their hands full with C9 sweeping the former whilst the latter managed to overcome the greatest the PCS has to offer in one fell swoop.

Play-In Stage

Group A

• Beyond Gaming
• Chiefs Esports Club
• DetonatioN FocusMe
• Evil Geniuses
• Fnatic
• LOUD

Group B

• DRX
• Isurus
• MAD Lions
• Royal Never Give Up
• Saigon Buffalo
• İstanbul Wildcats

The play-in stage will be just as exciting, if not more with plenty of big-name teams fighting for just four spots into the next round. The winners of groups A and B will move on directly to the group stage whilst the second, third, and fourth-place finishers will head to the second round of the play-in stage in a single-elimination bracket. From there, only two more teams will pull through to the group stage.

The likes of EG, Fnatic, and DFM in one group already sound like a recipe for chaos whilst throwing in wild cards like Beyond, Chiefs Esports, and even LOUD. As for Group B, you're joined by one of the LCK's most popular teams, DRX alongside LEC titan slayers, MAD as well as the reigning MSI champions, RNG. Isurus will be looking to make an immediate impact at their first-ever Worlds event alongside Istanbul Wildcats.  Saigon Buffalo is also making a return with their last appearance dating back to 2018.

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We are now a little over two weeks away from Worlds 2022, starting in New Mexico for the play-in stage from September 29 - October 4 at the Arena Esports Stadium, home of the LLA. From there, we head over to the United States for the group stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City on October 7 - 10 and then again from October 13 - 16. MSG will also be the venue for the quarterfinals from October 20 - 23, signalling the start of the playoffs. The semifinals fall on October 29 and 30 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta before moving to the Chase Center in the Bay Area for the grand finals on November 5.