The LoL Worlds 2023 are underway, and one of the four European teams will have to compete without their head coach behind them.
The LEC third seed, MAD Lions will be participating in the League of Legends World Championship Swiss Stage, but they're going to have to do so without a key member of the team – James "Mac" MacCormack.
The team released a statement of their head coach explaining why he will not be in South Korea with his team, letting the fans know ahead of time why the iconic coach won't be on stage at the tournament.
LoL Worlds 2023: MAD Lions Coach Not In South Korea
In a video for the fans, Mac revealed that his wife is expecting to give birth around November 6, 2023. Due to possible complications or the baby coming early, he made the difficult decision to stay back in Europe to be there for his family.
It’s obviously a hard decision, not one we took lightly. Owing to the fact that the baby can come before the due date and there can always be complications, not being there is a risk that I didn’t want to take.
Even though he will not be in South Korea with the team, Mac will still help them out from Europe and supporting them as best as he can remotely.
The MAD Lions have a shaky history at international tournaments, but they are looking to turn things around this year and cement themselves as one of the best orgs from Europe internationally once they start playing in the Swiss Stage which should kick off on October 19, 2023.