Worlds 2017: Draw Show Primer

Worlds is formatted a bit differently this year, and we’ll be having not one -- but two -- draws. Not sure exactly what that means or what a draw show even is? No problem, we’ve got you covered.

What is the Worlds Draw Show?

The Worlds Draw Show is the process by which teams are placed into groups for the Play-In Stage and the Group Stage of the 2017 World Championship. Unlike last year where there was only one draw, this year we’ll have two draws that’ll air back-to-back. The first will be the Play-In Draw, where the Play-In teams will be sorted into groups. The second is the Group Draw where teams in the Group Stage will be sorted into -- you guessed it -- groups!

How does the Draw Show work?

For the Play-In Draw, 12 teams will be sorted into four groups of three. Included in the draw will be top teams from the following regions: Brazil, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Japan, Latin America North, Latin America -South, Oceania and Turkey. The pool of teams will also include the 2nd seed from Southeast Asia, and 3rd seeds from China, Europe, North America, and the LMS. These teams will be drawn at random into one of four groups, which sets the stage for the first leg of Worlds 2017.

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The Group Draw Show will introduce 12 new teams that have been seeded directly into the Group Stage. The following seeds have earned direct invites to the Group Stage: The three seeds from Korea, the top two seeds from China, Europe, North America, LMS, and the top seed from Southeast Asia, who battled at the Mid-Season Invitational for a direct seed to the Group Stage. These 12 teams will be joined by the four teams who emerge victorious from the Play-In stage. This means that a total of 16 teams will be placed into four groups of four during the Group Draw Show.

Why does it matter?

Both shows decide who’ll square off against who in the opening stages of Worlds 2017. In order to advance to Round 2 of the Play-In, teams must fight through a Double Round Robin, Best of 1 (Bo1) format to be one of two top teams in each of the groups. From there they’ll be drawn into random matchups between #1 and #2 seeds, and play a full Best of 5 (Bo5) to advance to the Group Stage, as referenced in the graphic above.

The four teams that survive the Play-Ins will then be seeded into one of four Group Stage groups and battle it out in another Double Round Robin, Best of 1 format. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the Knockout Stage, where the tournament turns into a Best of 5, single elimination bracket.

How and when can I watch?

The live broadcast will be on September 12 with the Play-In Draw starting at 5:00 AM PT, followed by the Group Draw Show shortly after. You can catch them back-to-back right here on Lolesports. To dive deeper into how the Draw Show will work, check out our technical guide. We’ll see you on September 12!

If you need more info on Worlds, check out the news and updates page.