---

Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage round one matches have been drawn. The new stage of League of Legends' biggest tournament of the year will be starting in just a few days, so let's see who's fighting who and what the new format brings.  

Swiss Stage Teams

  The initial 22 teams were reduced to 16 through the also revamped Play-In stage.  

Image via Leaguepedia

The LJL, CBLOL, PCS and LLA all lost the entirety of their representatives through this stage. The VCS is still in the tournament through the qualification of GAM Esports. Golden Guardians, the LCS' fourth seed didn't even make it to Play-ins, but LEC managed to get all four of their seeds to the Main Event due to BDS' nerve-wracking qualification.  

Image via Leaguepedia

This is how the Play-In stage brackets turned out. Unfortunately, one of the qualification matches turned out to be a BO5 between the two VCS representatives, but no other regional matches happened. GAM Esports and BDS were the two teams that ended up earning their spot at the Swiss Stage.  

Swiss Stage format

  The new Swiss Stage is more exciting than the previous Group Stage that we're used to at Worlds. Here is how it works:  

Image via Riot Games

Matchups are randomly drawn at the end of each round, with the caveat that teams from the same region can't be drawn together in the first round. From the second round forward though, regional matches can (and likely will) happen. The first matches are BO1s, all elimination and qualification matches are BO3s. You can check out the full format explainer here.  

Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage matches

  The first round matches have been announced by Riot Games in the draw that took place right after Play-Ins ended. Here are the first BO1s we will see in the Swiss Stage:  

Image via Riot Games

BLG vs KT is an example of the downsides of the unseeded Swiss Stage. China and South Korea are the strongest regions at Worlds, yet LCK #3 seed or LPL #2 seed will go into the 0-1 round automatically. BO3 matches for elimination and qualification will reduce the amount of upsets, though, and might be enough to patch most of the holes that this new format brings. Who do you have winning the first Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage matches?

---

Featured image courtesy of Riot Games. We will be covering Worlds 2023 closely, so keep an eye on our LoL page for more content like this.