The knockout stage of the 2024 League of Legends World Championship is upon us, setting the stage for intense battles as eight teams vie for a shot at the trophy. With finals in London just around the corner, fans are eager to see who will emerge victorious.

This year’s tournament has been filled with surprises, from a CBLOL team qualifying for the main stage to no EMEA teams qualifying for the knockout stage after G2 Esports were eliminated. Other minor regions also fell short despite impressive showings throughout the tournament, like GAM Esports, who eliminated MAD Lions KOI in the Swiss stage. And the cherry on top has to be FlyQuest keeping Western hopes alive.

The four LPL teams showcased their dominance throughout the tournament, as all qualified for the final stage of the competition. Unsurprisingly, though, Gen.G, heavily favored for winning Worlds this year, are still in the run for the Summoner’s Cup. But it seems that once again, all roads will lead to T1, the reigning champion, who aim to defend their title and secure a fifth championship.

Faker gives a thumbs up to the camera with crowds of people and lights flashing behind him
There he goes again. Photo by Colin Young-Wolff via Riot Games

Worlds 2024 knockout stage format and teams

The knockout stage follows a single elimination best-of-five format, where teams must win three games to advance or face elimination from the tournament. The top eight teams qualified after the Swiss stage, which featured intense competition, with some matches being closer than most had thought they could be, resulting in some surprising qualifier teams, like LNG Esports.

LNG secured their spot by finishing the LoL Worlds Swiss stage with an impressive 3-0 record, a feat most fans would have thought impossible at the beginning of the tournament when it was not sure who their mid laner would be. Gen.G also achieved a perfect 3-0, with a notable victory over Hanwha Life Esports in the LCK Summer Finals rematch. Top Esports made their mark by sweeping Dplus KIA to finish with a strong 3-1 record, and LCK first seed, HLE, secured their place with a 3-1 record after overcoming FlyQuest, but not without breaking a sweat.

T1, the current champions, clinched their spot by defeating G2 Esports with a 2-0 score, which safeguarded their record of never losing more than one game in the main stage of Worlds. Weibo Gaming advanced with a 3-2 record after eliminating Fnatic and Dplus. Finally, Bilibili Gaming rounded out the top eight, eliminating G2 Esports with a close 3-2 record in a series that could have gone either way.

Last but not least to qualify were FlyQuest, beating Team Liquid 2-1 in a rematch of the LCS Summer Finals, which was the last match of the Swiss stage.

Worlds 2024 knockout schedule and results

As the knockout stage begins, these initial four matchups will determine who advances to the tournament’s semifinals:

Time Matchup Winner
Wednesday, Oct. 17, 6am CT LNG Esports vs. Weibo Gaming Weibo Gaming (3-1)
Thursday, Oct. 18, 6am CT Hanwha Life vs. Bilibili Gaming Bilibili Gaming (3-1)
Friday, Oct. 19, 6am CT T1 vs. Top Esports T1 (3-0)
Sunday, Oct. 20, 6am CT Gen.G vs. FlyQuest Gen.G (3-2)
Time Matchup Winner
Saturday, Oct. 26, 6am CT Weibo Gaming vs. Bilibili Gaming
Sunday, Oct. 27, 6am CT T1 vs. Gen.G

It has been quite an eventful knockout stage as LPL teams LNG Esports and Weibo Gaming locked horns to let Weibo Gaming take the LPL flag ahead in the tournament. However, Bilibili Gaming extinguished the hopes of the LCK’s first seed, Hanwha Life, to get another all-LPL semifinal. As Weibo Gaming and Bilibili Gaming will face each other to become LPL’s representative in the grand finals, a disciplined T1 knocked down Top Esports with a clean sweep.

FlyQuest almost pulled an upset and knocked out Gen.G in a close 3-2 series, but the yellow tigers clutched the last match of the silver scrapes. With their win against FlyQuest, the reigning MSI champions will face the defending champions, T1, to reignite their LCK rivalry in the semifinals to secure a spot in the 2024 Worlds grand finals. We are going to witness an LPL vs LCK final this year as the best regions will brawl to form a new legacy.

The crown is still up for grabs. T1 will look to secure their fifth title by defending their championship, Gen.G will fight with the hope of finally lifting a trophy, and the LPL teams aim to reclaim their long-lost throne in London on Nov. 2 at the O2 Arena.