League of Legends World Championship 2024 – Tournament Betting Preview

30 Sep 2024

Tit Krajnik 30 Sep 2024

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LoL Worlds 2024 main stage begins on Thursday, October 3, 2024
16 League of Legends teams
Three strong favourites

LoL Worlds 2024

The League of Legends World Championship 2024 is the culmination of the 2024 LoL esports season and the biggest esports event of the year. This year, it returns to Europe, where the world's elite LoL squads will battle it out to have their names etched into the history books and earn the right to lift the prestigious Summoner's Cup.

A Long List of Teams Unlikely to Succeed
Are Gen.G The World's Best Team?
Outsiders Worth Keeping an Eye On

Like in previous years, there were some drastic patch changes before LoL Worlds 2024, yet this year, in particular, those changes could shake things up more than ever before. This introduces some variance esports punters should be mindful of, and in addition to the format changes, it makes it less likely for a Cinderella Run to happen.

On the other side, the new format will lead to more games between stronger teams, and increase the likelihood of the best teams reaching the finals. In theory, at least.

Assuming the patch changes and format indeed lead to a smaller likelihood of underdogs outperforming expectations, it is fair to question whether there are any solid betting opportunities to explore.

A Long List of Teams Unlikely to Succeed

The League of Legends World Championsip 2024 features 20 LoL esports teams, four of which will get eliminated from the Play-Ins and not make it to the Swiss Stage. But considering the limited success Play-In teams have had in all previous iterations of LoL Worlds, the first batch of squads can be written off as potential candidates.

The list of teams unlikely to compete for the Summoner's Cup is quite long and includes all minor region teams and all North American (LCS) sides. One exception is PSG Talon, who might hail from a minor region but have enough talent to make their presence known.

History has taught us that only a handful of squads attending LoL Worlds have a shot at reaching the big stage. Since its early days, this has included mainly Asian squads and the occasional deep run from a European team. That is not surprising, as the LoL esports scene is very top-heavy.

One might argue that Team Liquid have done enough this season to stand a chance of making some noise. But compare them to the likes of Gen.G, Bilibili Gaming, or any other top contender, and it is fairly clear they're a couple of tiers below.

Are Gen.G The World's Best Team?

According to the esports betting sites, Gen.G (3.75) and Bilibili Gaming (3.75) are the clear favourites to win LoL World Championship 2024. That is hardly surprising.

Gen.G will not be completing the Golden Road regardless of how they do at LoL Worlds due to their upset loss in the LCK Summer finals. But that one slip-up does not make them any less likely to win the Summoner's Cup.

That loss aside, Gen.G are arguably the best and most efficient LoL esports team we've seen in recent years. Yet, despite their dominant domestic showings, they're priced quite generously at 3.75, which is a number that is hard to pass on.

Some could argue for Bilibili Gaming at the same number, but realistically, Gen.G should be priced with shorter odds than their Chinese counterparts.

Outsiders Worth Keeping an Eye On

Besides backing the favourites, other teams are worth considering on the "To reach the finals" market.

Even on this market, Gen.G at 2.10 are worth a look, but further down the list, we have Dplus KIA at 11.00. From afar, this wager might not inspire much confidence, considering Dplus KIA placed fourth in the two LCK playoffs and barely made it past T1 in the LCK 2024 Regional Finals.

However, if we isolate Dplus KIA's good games, they've been posting elite-level numbers, proving one important thing – when Dplus KIA are playing well, they're extremely good.

As with most underdogs, betting on Dplus KIA is hoping they show their best side, and while there are no guarantees that will happen, Dplus's lineup is experienced enough to step it up a notch on the big stage.

Dplus KIA also have the advantage of knowing other top contenders such as T1, Gen.G, and Hanwha Life Esports. So, a deep run is not as unlikely as their results in 2024 might suggest.

Outside of Dplus KIA, you have to have a very good reason to back any outsider to do well at LoL Worlds 2024. G2 Esports could find themselves in the mix, and the same can be said about Weibo Gaming, but at 7.00, the Chinese representatives are not a very exciting choice.

Verdict

League of Legends World Championship 2024

With format changes, it will be much harder for any outsider team to make it very far, except for Dplus KIA (potentially G2 Esports), who have a very high ceiling. And while the esports betting sites have three teams – Gen.G, Bilibili Gaming, and Hanwha Life Esports priced as top contenders, this seems like Gen. G's tournament to lose.

It is worth noting that the tournament favourites rarely win LoL Worlds, and you don't have to look far to see the trend of top contenders crashing out early. Cinderella Stories have happened before, and they likely will happen again.

But while patch changes and developing meta throughout LoL Worlds introduce enough volatility to make backing outsiders more appealing, it is hard to pass on Gen.G to win it all at this number.

Gen.G To Win

Outright

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Dplus KIA

To Reach The Final

@1000.0 - 1 Unit

25 SC no deposit & 250,000 GC

Get 25 Stake Cash & 250,000 Gold Coins when you sign up with code NEWBONUS at Stake.us. USA only. Excludes certain States including NY,NV,ID, KY,WA. 18+ only. Terms and Conditions apply.

Bet at Stake.com