Few esports events can compare to the League of Legends World Championship 2022 (LoL Worlds 2022). It is the largest League of Legends yearly event and it brings together the strongest competitive teams from all over the globe. Given the many areas you can bet on, not only limited to the winning team, there is a bit of complexity when it comes to LoL World championship betting. As a result, we’ve decided to make an in-depth LoL Worlds betting guide with relevant information on teams, start dates, and the structure of this competition!
The stakes are high, with the League of Legends Worlds 2022 prize pool starting at $2,25 million. The total amount is expected to exceed $7,000,000 USD after crowdfunding from Worlds themed items are calculated. The article also includes betting tips where our esports experts share their insight for the most anticipated matches of LoL Worlds 2022!
Best LoL Worlds Live Betting Sites
When Does League of Legends Worlds 2022 Start?
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship starts in October, but LoL Worlds odds on the outright winners are already available.
Everything kicks off with a Play-In Stage that pits 12 teams from emerging regions against each other in an exciting battle for 4 Group Stage spots. But the real show comes with the beginning of the Main Event on October 7, where the top 16 teams in the world will compete to enter the quarterfinals, cutting the participants from 16 to 8.
The Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be played in the last week of October, and ultimately, the World Championship finals are scheduled for November 6. These playoff matches provide the best LoL betting opportunities to punters capable of seizing them. In anticipation of these matches we have assembled a LoL worlds betting guide to help you pick winners.
As for the LoL Worlds 2022 location, the tournament takes place in the United States and Mexico, with the best LoL teams in the world converging to the city of San Francisco for the Grand Final.
LoL Worlds 2022 Schedule:
- Play-in Stage: September 29 – October 4
- Group Stage Round 1: October 7 – 10
- Group Stage Round 2: October 13 – 16
- Quarterfinals: October 20 – 23
- Semifinals: October 29 – 30
- Summoner’s Cup Finals: November 5
Which Teams Will Qualify For LoL Worlds 2022?
The first part of the League of Legends World Championship (aka the Play-In Stage) is all about the emerging regions. The competition is short but fierce, and you’ll see many up-and-coming lineups trying to prove their worth at the international stage. Our League of Legends World Championship betting guide will help you better understand the initial part of the event and make the right choices when picking winners.
With that in mind, here’s a list of teams that have qualified for the Play-In Stage in 2022:
- Beyond Gaming
- Chiefs Esports Club
- DetonatioN FocusMe
- Evil Geniuses
- Fnatic
- LOUD
- DRX
- Isurus
- MAD Lions
- Royal Never Give Up
- Saigon Buffalo
- Istanbul Wildcats
Evil Geniuses, DRX, Fnatic, MAD Lions and Royal Never Give Up are much better than their opponents and they should advance to the LoL Worlds 2022 group stage. DetonatioN FocusMe will almost certainly play the qualifiers, as they dominate the Japan region, while Saigon Buffalo and Istanbul Wildcats will fight for the last qualifying spots.
The teams who were seeded in the main event last year are expected to return, with the reigning champions Edward Gaming being among the favourites to defend the trophy. FunPlus Phoenix, LGd Gaming, Team Liquid and TSM will be missing, which signals a clear shift of power in the main regions, after years of dominance.
League of Legends Worlds 2022 Format and Prizes
As we’ve mentioned above, League of Legends Worlds 2022 can be broken down into two distinct parts. Each provides players with excellent LoL Worlds betting opportunities and the first one is the Play-In Stage. This is a cutthroat competition between the best wildcard teams and the third lineup from major regions. Each wildcard team dominated a minor region, but it remains to be seen whether any of them can hold their own against top-tier opponents. Meanwhile, teams will be striving to prove themselves and advance to the next stage of the event. With that, only 4 out of 10 Play-In squads can qualify for the Main Event. Our LoL worlds betting guide will help you navigate the initial phase of the grand tournament scheduled for the end of the year.
Combine that with the fact that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of these lineups, and we’re in for a bloody skirmish that will separate the best-emerging regions from the rest. Quality LoL Worlds predictions can help you navigate the stormy waters of the play-in stage and make some profit even before the main event starts. Still, the tournament reaches its peak during the Main Event. First, the remaining wildcard lineups meet top-tier teams from major regions in a gruelling group stage. Each squad is tested, so only the strongest can break into the playoffs.
Playoffs Make or Break LoL Teams at Worlds
Then, tensions escalate to new highs as teams battle each other through vicious Bo5 series and the margin for error becomes so incredibly slim that even the slightest misstep can knock someone out of the tournament. This is the most exciting stage of the LoL Worlds betting 2022. You already have some information from the play-ins, so you can make the right LoL Worlds predictions. Finally, the last team standing will raise the trophy and bask in the fame and glory that comes with being the best League of Legends team in the world!
The initial prize pool of the tournament is $2,25 million, but it is on a constant expansion and is expected to go beyond the $7 million mark. 22% will go to the winner, which at the start of the event is just shy of $500,000 and the percentage will shrink to 15%, 8% and 4.5% for the runners up and those who finish in 3-4, respectively 5-8 places. Every participating team will be financially compensated but the differences between the top placed teams and those who are eliminated in the play-in stage are significant.
Pressure is on the Defending World Champions
Invictus Gaming entered the 2018 League of Legends World Championship in the shadow of the #1 LPL team Royal Never Give Up but won the event. FunPlus Phoenix defied the odds again in 2019 and crushed G2 Esports in the final to affirm the dominance of the LPL worldwide. Both Chinese teams failed to defend the trophy and then Damwon Gaming won LoL Worlds 2020, only to fail in the final. The reverse sweep broke their hearts and now Edward Gaming will try to to better and become the first team to defend their trophy in more than a decade.
Chinese and Korean teams are the clear favorites to lift the trophy as the top 8 contenders come from these two countries. GenG and JDG are at the top of the list with odds of 3.50, followed by top Esports and T1 with odds of 5.00, respectively 6.00. Royal Never Give up are the team to watch for this year, with odds of 8.00 after winning the Mid-Season Invitational, but the reigning champions are not to be ignored at equally tempting odds of 8.00.
The South Korean teams are among the favourites to win the event, with Damwon KIA priced at 10.00 and DRX at 17.00. They are a solid teams, capable of snowballing early leads into insurmountable advantages and perform at a high level throughout lengthy tournaments.
European Teams are Underdogs at LoL Worlds 2022
G2 were perennial favourites to win the tournament and in 2020 they came painfully close. At the time, the LoL Worlds predictions ahead of the finals indicated them as one of the favourites. In spite of being swept by FunPlus Phoenix in 2019, they returned with a strong performance at the LoL World championship 2020. They lost to the eventual champions Damwon Gaming but put up a convincing fight. In 2022 they missed the most important tournament of the year, but now they return and are priced at 25.00, ahead of Rogue and Fnatic who get odds of 35.00 and 50.00
In 2021 we had MAD Lions as Europe’s best chance to bring the trophy home but they failed to meet the high expectations and this year they get odds of 100 to emerge victoriously. Such odds at leading bookmakers such as Betway Esports should be taken before the tournament begins, as they are only likely to drop. Fnatic could be the dark horse of the tournament and a good choice for those who are not afraid of riskier LoL Worlds 2022 betting options. Rogue were the revelation of the 2020 season and the team that represented Europe at the previous Worlds event, albeit with little success.
Hard Times ahead for North American Teams
Team Liquid have dominated North America for years, being the strongest team in the region, but they’ve struggled on the international front. They won’t play in the tournament this year, so American fans interested in LoL Worlds betting could instead bet on Cloud9. They will have a hard time qualifying past the group stage, after Perkz their celebrated acquisition has returned to the LEC. The talented G2 Esports player carried them to back to back LCS Finals, but they will have to rely on the revamped roster to keep the hopes of NA fans alive at Worlds.
TSM were the other team to represent the North American Region at the main event, but they are not going to feature at the LoL Worlds 2022. They lost key players at the end of last year and never recovered, so it comes as no surprise that they are missing from the main League of Legends event. NA teams have always been underdogs at the World Championship and this will be the case once again in 2022. Evil Geniuses and 100 Thieves remain their best chance with the same odds of 75.00, but this highlights the huge underdog status that American teams have at Worlds.
Top 3 Bookmakers Offering Best LoL Worlds Odds
- Betway esports is one of the leading bookmakers and among the best choices when betting on Esports tournaments. The LoL Worlds 2022 will enjoy ample coverage here and punters will be able to bet on mainstream and special markets. They have an amazing selection of in-game objectives to bet on, which make live betting more exciting for punters who also play the game.
- Thunderpick esports betting site is a specialist and the obvious destination for League of Legends betting fans. This bookmaker provides some of the best odds for underdog betting and a wide spectrum of handicaps that allow punters to tinker with the spreads. To celebrate the League of Legends World Championship, Thunderpick has special campaigns and boosted odds.
- GG.bet esports betting markets for LoL Worlds open new possibilities for the fans of the popular MOBA game. The odds for the flagship even are already available for those who want to place ante-post bets. The in-play odds are just as good and as kickoff draws near, GG.bet is likely to offer exclusive bonuses to those betting on the League of Legends Worlds Championship.
LoL Worlds 2022 Betting Tips
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship is filled with countless opportunities for punters from all over the globe looking to get in on the action. That said, you need to be very careful about picking your battles and make use of LoL Worlds predictions and tips when possible. After all, LoL Worlds 2022 is the largest LoL esports tournament of the year and the sheer number of participants makes it very difficult to tell how everyone matches up against each other. The good news is that the LoL Worlds betting odds are equally tempting and can lead to big profits.
Don’t fret, though, because we’ll be doing weekly betting tips to help you make sense of the competition! Here, you will find expert insight and exclusive LoL Worlds predictions for some of the most anticipated matches of the tournament. If you are interested in LoL Worlds live betting, stay in tune for our upcoming League of Legends Worlds 2022 betting predictions.