2024 Worlds Play-Ins Participants: Who Will Progress to the Main Stage?

    

This year's Play-Ins stage is sure to entertain with the crop of high-potential teams present. However, many of these teams and players are foreign to international audiences. After all, who has the time to watch every single major and minor region's games? The following article is designed to give a brief introduction to each of the teams alongside a few key ideas about them and their players.

Play-ins Teams

For those who don't know, the World Championship is divided into 2 stages, Play-In and Main Event. The Play-In stage features 8 teams: Champions from minor regions, plus second seeds from Vietnam and Southeast Asia, and third seeds from North America and Europe. They compete for 4 available spots in the Main Event. The Play-In teams are further divided into 2 pools; Pool 1 features the #3 seeds from NA and EU, as well as the champions from Southeast Asia and Vietnam. Pool 2 features the #2 seeds from Vietnam and Southeast Asia as well as the champions from Latin America and Brazil. The Pool 1 teams are heavy favorites to qualify for the Main Event, and any of the Pool 2 teams qualifying would be considered quite an upset. Let's take a look at the rosters who will be competing in this stage of the tournament, ordered from lowest expectations to highest (Starting from 20, considering the teams already qualified for the Main Event in these standings). Note that several of these teams are rather evenly matched, so don't take their positions as definite.

#20: LLA Champions - Movistar R7

TOP - Summit / JG - Oddie / MID - Keine / BOT - Ceos / SUP - Lyonz

It should come as no surprise to followers of the LLA that R7 will represent Latin America at the World Championship this year. They've been a top team in the region for years and represented the region at Worlds last year. Although they were reigning champs, they did make some roster changes since last years' tournament. They controversially replaced Bong with Summit who came in after a disappointing end of the year on Team Liquid, though he has since succeeded in the new environment. They also acquired mid laner Keine from Infinity, a move that seemed to work out well for them as he's put up some monstrous performances especially in the finals against his former team. Notably, they held onto domestic star jungler Oddie whose been a consistent performer in the league even before joining R7. Despite these roster changes, R7 did miss out on MSI this year to title competitors Estral Esports, though they were able to bounce back and win the title again the following split. Still, many consider R7 to be the weakest team at Worlds this year, mainly due to the struggles of the region as a whole. Their competition to qualify is worse and their performances at previous international tournaments have given no reason to believe they will go far. Although Oddie is dominant domestically, he hasn't shown the ability to surpass international competition yet. That being said, Summit may very well be the best top laner in this stage of the event if he plays at the level we've seen from him in the past. Their players clearly have quality to qualify for Worlds 2 years in a row, so if a Pool 1 team underestimates them it's not impossible for them to sneak a win. 

#19: VCS Runners-Up - Vikings Esports

TOP - Nanaue / JG - Gury / MID - Kati / BOT - Shogun / SUP - Bie

Many fans of the VCS expected Viking Esports to be the champions going into Worlds as they want into playoffs as the #1 seed. However, following a close 3-2 loss to GAM in Round 3 of playoffs, then again in a more dominant 3-0 fashion in the Grand Final saw them fall to the #2 seed at Worlds. The team is full of familiar faces for Worlds fans, as they may remember previous Worlds appearances from Kati and Bie on GAM and Shogun with Saigon Buffalo. They've been competitive with GAM at the top of the VCS all year, and many theorize that they may show up big at Worlds if they can regain their regular season form. Question marks rise over their top jungle duo, Nanaue and Gury, as they prepare to take on their first international competition ever. In a sense, they are the inverse of GAM, whose top jungle duo are their most acclaimed and prolific members. Though they are coming in as the 2nd seed below GAM, they can certainly swing above their weight in the right circumstances.

#18: PCS Runners-Up - Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming

TOP - Evi / JG - Forest / MID - DasheR / BOT - Marble / SUP - Vsta

With the merging of the LJL with the PCS, many were unsure if we would see a Japanese team appear at the World Championship this year. Fortunately for Japanese fans, Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming (More reasonably known as SHG) held their own against the Southeast Asian competition and punched their ticket to Worlds as the PCS 2nd seed. European fans are sure to recognize Evi, who quickly returned to his domestic pedestal in Japan after returning from his underwhelming stint on Heretics. He joined the team this year alongside former T1 Academy jungler Forest. They met the successful bottom half of the map SHG already had in DasheR, Marble, and Vsta. While the team has looked stellar against Japanese competition, faltering to PCS champs PSG inspires little hope that the team will go far this tournament, especially since they may have the worst ADC player in the tournament in an ADC dominated meta. They're certainly a fun underdog pick to root for, though.

#17: CBLoL Champions - paiN Gaming

TOP - Wizer / JG - CarioK / MID - DyNquedo / BOT - TitaN / SUP - Kuri

This year we see Brazilian legends paiN Gaming finally make their explosive return to the international stage after overcoming chief rivals LOUD for the first time since 2022. Many of their players have actually seen international play before, though all for different teams and several years ago. The only remaining player from paiN's last international appearance at MSI 2021 is their jungler CarioK, while their mid laner DyNquedo competed at Worlds with KaBuM in 2018 as well as their ADC TitaN under the RED Canids banner in 2021. These three are joined by two fringe Korean players, Wizer in the top lane and new addition Kuri at support. The organization has long been popular and beloved by Brazilian fans, coming 2nd in CBLoL a staggering five times in a row since 2022. For many it's been a long time coming, but in recent tournaments the CBLoL has struggled against tougher international competition. Both of paiN's carries have put up some tremendous performances in the playoffs leading their team to victory, but it's unclear how they will hold up against the Pool 1 teams.

#16: LCS Third Seed - 100 Thieves 

TOP - Sniper / JG - River / MID - Quid / BOT - Tomo / SUP - Eyla

You would be forgiven for being surprised to see 100 Thieves appear on this list. Most expected Cloud9 to be the third participant from North America at Worlds this year, but following a huge 3-1 upset over Cloud9 in round 3 of summer playoffs, 100 Thieves fittingly stole away the final worlds spot. The team was in dire straits after an impressive Spring regular season where they finished 2nd in the table, they faltered in playoffs, only barely defeating a struggling NRG before falling to TL to come 4th. Then, summer got off to a rocky start, where they lost 4 of their first 5 series. After the 4th loss, their starting ADC Meech stepped down and they signed free agent Tomo to fill his shoes, who made an explosive re-entry into the LCS. His joining seemed to reinvigorate the team who surged all the way from bottom of the table to 3rd place by the end of playoffs. While they do seem to be a cut below the top 2 from the region, their roster of young, ambitious players has a lot of potential. Quid has had an impressive bounce-back year after a disappointing summer in 2023 after replacing Bjergsen, and Sniper has been making a name for himself by regularly getting solo-kills against other LCS top laners. River remains a cool head to guide his team to victory, and Eyla has stepped up his decision-making, continuing his streak of improvement. If they continue to gel with Tomo and improve, they could turn some heads at this year's World Championship.

#15: VCS Champions - GAM Esports

TOP - Kiaya / JG - Levi / MID - Emo / BOT - EasyLove / SUP - Elio

It comes as little surprise that GAM will represent Vietnam as their #1 seed at Worlds for the 4th time in a row (the region was absent from the World Championship in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID restrictions). Levi and Kiaya make their triumphant return in style, dominating Vikings Esports 3-0 in the finals to secure their Pool 1 spot at the World Championship. While those two are familiar faces, international fans may be less familiar with their teammates, Emo, EasyLove, and Elio. Emo is a talented 19 year old who's already making a establishing himself as a top player in the region. EasyLove has been a top ADC talent for years but never really broke through until he finally got his shot with GAM following the VCS match-fixing scandal earlier in the year. He replaced their starting ADC Neo and performed exceptionally, earning his full-time starting position. Elio may be the weakest player on his team but that's mostly due to the high level of performance his teammates have been cranking out, he's been a reliable player for GAM on their journey to the World Championship. As usual, GAM is looking good this year, and many expect them to do very well in Play-Ins. However, performances on the main stage in the past have left something to be desired, so they'll need to step it up if they want to go further after progressing from the Play-Ins stage.

#14: LEC Third Seed - MAD Lions KOI

TOP - Myrwn / JG - Elyoya / MID - Fresskowy / BOT - Supa / SUP - Alvaro

Similarly to 100 Thieves, though not quite as surprising, many didn't expect MAD Lions KOI to be Europe's third representative at Worlds. Aside from G2 and FNC, it was unclear who would snag the final Worlds spot all year, with other teams like BDS and SK Gaming vying for the spot. However, when Season Finals rolled around, MAD turned it up and upset G2 in the upper bracket to secure themselves a top 3 finish and a spot at the World Championship. They would eventually falter to Fnatic in the upper bracket and G2 in their lower bracket rematch resulting in their 3rd place finish, but for a team that finished 8th in summer, this was still a major improvement. European superstar jungler Elyoya led MAD Lions to Worlds once again, this time joined by a gaggle of energetic Spanish-speaking rookies. Coming into 2024, many didn't expect much from "Elyoya and Friends", but they quickly turned that perception around with a 2nd place finish in Winter. Though they struggled throughout the year afterwards, their return to form in Season Finals was enough to punch their ticket to Worlds. While Myrwn, Fresskowy, Supa, and Alvaro are all rookies making their first international appearances, everyone's eyes will be on Fresskowy, who struggled the most against European competition. That being said, the mid lane pool in Europe is notoriously strong, so he may thrive in the Play-Ins environment against minor region competition. Most expect MAD to make it out of Play-Ins relatively easily, but how the pressure of international competition will affect their rookie players is uncertain. They've been inconsistent throughout the year, so they'll need to steel themselves if they want to progress to the Main Event in confident fashion.

#13: PCS Champions - PSG Talon

TOP - Azhi / JG - JunJia / MID - Maple / BOT - Betty / SUP - Woody

PSG Talon enter the Play-Ins stage as the most likely team to progress to the Main Event. Due to the lack of quality competition in Southeast Asia, it's unclear just how good PSG actually is. Their roster is star studded with worlds attendees, returning with 4/5 of the members from their appearance at worlds last year. After bringing in new addition Betty in the ADC position, they do seem to have leveled up a bit. This roster is full of experience, all of them having attended multiple international events, and in former Flash Wolves mid laner Maple's case, being a long-lasting legend of the game. After dominating their way through summer playoffs, they appear head and shoulders above the rest of their teams in their region. Some fans hypothesize that they may be on par with #2 seeds from major regions. At this point it's difficult to tell, but it will certainly be exciting to see just how far they can push. Their first trial will be overcoming the #3 seeds from the major western regions joining them in the Play-Ins stage, and if they can overcome them, they should be feeling good going into the Main Event.

All photo credits to LoL Esports.