The 2022 League of Legends World Championship is kicking off soon. The Play-In stage marks the beginning of the biggest esports event of the year, but which teams are participating, and where can you watch it all? Let's check out everything you need to know for the 2022 LoL Worlds Play-Ins.
The League of Legends Worlds Play-Ins mark the beginning of the biggest esports event of the year. This is the stage where teams from smaller regions try to make their mark on the worldwide esports community by showing off their skill against the fourth and third seeds of the bigger, more prominent regions.
In recent years, we've gotten some insane games from the smaller regions who have nothing to lose and show off the unique flavors of their regions. It's also the time for everyone to start rooting for underdog teams. Will the LoL team of LOUD be able to show off Brazilian skills after a huge success in VALORANT esports and will DFM be able to make some upset plays?
LoL Worlds 2022 Play-Ins: Start and End Dates
The event is going to start on Thursday, September 29, 2022. The first match between the LLA first seed, Isurus, and the LEC fourth seed MAD Lions will kick off the tournament at 1PM Pacific Time. If you're living in Europe, then get ready for some lack of sleep because the first game will start at 10 PM CEST.
The Play-In group phase is going to go until October 2, 2022. Then, the Play-In elimination rounds will start on October 3, 2022, and end October 4, 2022 before we head into the main event of the League of Legends World Championship. Keep in mind that this year you can also do your Pick'Em for the Play-In knockout round, so don't forget to make your picks before then!
Worlds Play-In Format and Schedule
The Play-In's follow an easy-to-understand format. There are 12 teams that have qualified and put into one of two groups of six. Each team is going to play against one another within their group before the top teams are crowned. The winners of each group will make their way into the main event while the second, third and fourth seed will all have to play in a knockout event.
LoL Worlds 2022 Play-In Stage Group Phase
Day 1 – September 29, 2022 at 1:00 PM PT/10:00 PM CEST
| Team | Score | Team | Score |
| Isurus | 0 | MAD Lions | 1 |
| Fnatic | 1 | Evil Geniuses | 0 |
| LOUD | 0 | Beyond Gaming | 1 |
| MAD Lions | 1 | Istanbul Wildcats | 0 |
| The Chiefs | 0 | Fnatic | 1 |
| DetonatioN FocusMe | 0 | LOUD | 1 |
| Saigon Buffalo | 1 | Istanbul Wildcats | 0 |
| DRX | 1 | RNG | 0 |
Day 2 – September 30 at 13:00 PT/10:00 PM CEST
| Team | Score | Team | Score |
| Fnatic | 1 | DetionatioN FocusMe | 0 |
| Evil Geniuses | 1 | LOUD | 0 |
| Saigon Buffalo | 1 | Isurus | 0 |
| DetionatioN FocusMe | 1 | The Chiefs | 0 |
| Evil Geniuses | 1 | Beyond Gaming | 0 |
| DRX | 1 | Saigon Buffalo | 0 |
| MAD Lions | 0 | Royal Never Give Up | 1 |
| Istanbul Wildcats | 0 | DRX | 1 |
Day 3 – October 1 at 1:00 PM PT/10:00 PM CEST
| Team | Score | Team | Score |
| LOUD | 1 | Fnatic | 0 |
| MAD Lions | 1 | Saigon Buffalo | 0 |
| Beyond Gaming | 0 | DeotnatioN FocusMe | 1 |
| Evil Geniuses | 1 | The Chiefs | 0 |
| Royal Never Give Up | 1 | Isurus | 0 |
| The Chiefs | 0 | Beyond Gaming | 1 |
| Royal Never Give Up | 1 | Istanbul Wildcats | 0 |
| Isurus | 0 | DRX | 1 |
Day 4 – October 2 at 1:00 PM PT/10:00 PM CEST
| Team | Score | Team | Score |
| Beyond Gaming | 0 | Fnatic | 1 |
| LOUD | 1 | The Chiefs | 0 |
| DetonatioN FocusMe | 1 | Evil Geniuses | 0 |
| Istanbul Wildcats | 0 | Isurus | 1 |
| DRX | 1 | MAD Lions | 0 |
| Royal Never Give Up | 1 | Saigon Buffalo | 0 |
These are the group phase games for the 2022 League of Legends World Championship Play-In Phase. But what are the groups and standings, so you know who is going to automatically qualify for one of the remaining four spots at the main event in New York City?
Play-In Phase Group Standings
Group A
| Standing | Team | Record |
| 1 | Fnatic | 4 - 1 |
| 2 | Evil Geniuses | 5 - 2 |
| 3 | LOUD | 3 - 3 |
| 4 | DetonatioN FocusMe | 3 - 3 |
| 5 | Beyond Gaming | 2 - 3 |
| 6 | The Chiefs | 0 - 5 |
Group B
| Standing | Team | Record |
| 1 | DRX | 5 - 0 |
| 2 | Royal Never Give Up | 4 - 1 |
| 3 | MAD Lions | 3 - 2 |
| 4 | Saigon Buffalo | 2 - 3 |
| 5 | Isurus | 1 - 4 |
| 6 | Istanbul Wildcats | 0 - 5 |
LoL Worlds Play-In Phase Knockout Rounds
After the group phase, the top two teams of each group will be waiting in the Play-In phase finals, while the third and fourth seeds will have to battle it out in the first best-of-five series of the tournament to determine who will make it to the play-in finals. These will determine the final two spots at the 2022 League of Legends group phase.
Play-In Phase Semi-Finals – October 3 at 11:00 AM PT/8:00 PM CEST
| Team | Score | Team | Score |
| DetonatioN FocusMe | 3 | LOUD | 1 |
| Saigon Buffalo | 1 | MAD Lions | 3 |
Play-In Phase Finals – October 4 at 11:00 AM PT/8:00 PM CEST
| Team | Score | Team | Score |
| Royal Never Give Up | 3 | DetonatioN FocusMe | 1 |
| Evil Geniuses | 3 | MAD Lions | 0 |
LoL Worlds Play-In Stage Live-Stream
The action is going to be live-streamed through all official Riot Games channels, but if you want to get those sweet watch rewards and stream drops, make sure to go onto the official lolesports website to watch the event. You'll likely be able to get some rewards by watching the opening already, so make sure you have some free time when the first match starts.
Now, if you're an LCK or LPL fan living in Europe, have fun trying to wake up at 4AM every night and then making it to school or work on time... Hopefully, we get some better times for the actual group phase, right?