Worlds 2023 Knockout Stage: Quarterfinals, Preview, Schedule, and Predictions

The conclusion of League of Legends’ Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage makes way for the final portion of the tournament: the Knockout Stage. In this stage, the top 8 teams remaining at Worlds 2023 will compete for the ultimate prize, the Summoner’s Cup.

The Eight Teams Remaining at Worlds 2023

Below is listed the 8 teams who have survived to the Knockout Stage. Thus, they are guaranteed at least a top 8 finish. Moreover, their record in the Swiss Stage will also be listed. 

• Gen.G [3-0] LCK 1st seed
• JD Gaming [3-0] LPL 1st seed
• LNG Esports [3-1] LPL 3rd seed
• NRG [3-1] LCS 1st seed
• T1 [3-1] LCK 2nd seed
• KT Rolster [3-2] LCK 3rd seed
• Weibo Gaming [3-2] LPL 4th seed
• Bilibili Gaming [3-2] LPL 2nd seed

Worlds 2023 Knockout Stage Format

The top 8 teams from Swiss Stage qualify to the Knockout Stage. This section of the tournament will be single-elimination. All series played during this part of Worlds 2023 will be in Bo5 format. For more information and any further questions, check out our all-in-one Worlds 2023 tournament guide (updated).

Worlds 2023 Knockout Stage Quarterfinals Schedule

The conclusion of Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage will now result in a short break. Worlds 2023 will resume on the 2nd of November. The Quarterfinals is set to run from the 2nd until the 5th.

NRG vs Weibo Gaming [8am GMT | 2nd Nov]

In the first game of the quarterfinals, we have an epic rematch between NRG and Weibo Gaming. The pair had previously faced off in the first round of the Swiss Stage. The game had been a Bo1, with Weibo taking the win.

For Weibo, winning this series is necessary to reaffirm their unprecedented rise in form this year. In a Bo1, anything can happen. For that reason, the victory rings a little more hollow. Moreover, Weibo’s qualification came about solely from beating Western teams. Beating NRG has to be a stepping stone for this roster if they want to achieve true greatness this year.

For NRG, they remain as the sole Western representative in the tournament. After the untimely eliminations of G2 and Fnatic at the end of the Swiss Stage, NRG is all that remains of the West. Earlier in the tournament, they had stated that their goal, in coming to Worlds, was to show that Western teams were not any worse off than Eastern teams. That Western teams could be competitive. Well, they have already gone deeper than expected. Time to really test that theory.

Gen.G vs Bilibili Gaming [8am GMT | 3rd Nov]

Rematch of MSI! Gen.G are awarded an opportunity for a rematch against BLG following their defeat at the latter’s hands at MSI. Now looking in fine form on the international stage, Gen.G look primed to take on BLG and tread their way to a semifinals.

Moreover, if Gen.G makes it past BLG in this upcoming series, only NRG and Weibo reside on their side of the bracket. Meaning, the path is all but flimsily defended to a Grand Finals appearance for the LCK no.1 seed.

And then, we have BLG. Most are not sure what to make of them. They manage to simultaneously look like one of the wildest and strongest LPL teams currently AND one of its most unpredictable as well. BLG is too strong to discount but Gen.G looks like a far safer bet in this upcoming series.

KT Rolster vs JD Gaming [8am GMT | 4th Nov]

Then we have this series. Another cross-regional matchup for the pair. Someone had to face JD Gaming in the Quarterfinals. Unfortunately for KT, this someone is them. The pair has never faced off before, with JD Gaming having steamrolled 3 victories and also simultaneously never drawing a Korean matchup in the Swiss Stage

KT is coming into this series about as battle-tested as one can be. The LCK 3rd seed has two posted wins against Dplus KIA and one against Weibo. Unfortunately, their win record against Chinese teams ends there, with a somber 33% win rate. Both BLG and LNG have bested this squad before. Now KT has to face the team that made these other teams cry for dad.

Now, for JD Gaming’s part, their likeliest biggest competition on this side of the bracket is T1. With Gen.G safely stowed away on the other side, the one factor that would have the highest potential to keep JDG from that Grand Finals appearance, would be a repeat of last year’s Worlds. At the time, T1 had certainly looked mightier. However, JDG still lost to T1 3-1. They had their revenge at MSI, where JDG won 3-2. But, this matchup has always historically been a challenging one.

T1 vs LNG [8am GMT | 5th Nov]

You would think T1 has this in the bag. However, this is LNG. The team that should have been seeded 2nd in China, only narrowly losing out in points to BLG. This is despite their mediocre placing in the Spring Playoffs. They placed third in the regular Summer Split and second in the Playoffs.

In the Swiss Stage, the only team LNG has lost to, is JDG. Now that is a record to behold. If there is one dark horse candidate amongst these 8, good money would be on LNG.

T1. It was not as pretty as we would have liked at the beginning. Close game against Team Liquid, loss to Gen.G, win against Cloud9, close game against BLG…standard day of heart attacks for T1. Despite a fading form that had many question if this team still has what it takes to win a title, it is still without question that individually, this roster has what it takes to succeed.

The eye test may not check out for T1, but they’re still likely favored, as always, to at least make the semi finals.

Where to Watch Worlds 2023 Knockout Stage?

Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage can be watched on Twitch and YouTube. For the full list of streams in all available languages, check this link here.

Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

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