The group stage draw for the inaugural World Star Challengers Invitational has reportedly been completed, with 16 Tier 2 League of Legends teams set to compete at the new international tournament.
As Cybersport In reports, citing Sheep Esports, the competition will take place from September 20 to October 2. The opening eight matches are expected to be played on Sunday, September 20.
The World Star Challengers Invitational will become the first global tournament created specifically for Tier 2 League of Legends teams. Riot Games and TJ Sports, the company responsible for organising the LPL and Asia Masters, are working together on the event.
According to the reported draw, Group A will feature T1 Esports Academy, EDward Gaming Youth Team, DN SOOPers Challengers and Fuego. The participation of the academy roster continues the international story of T1’s esports organisation, which has built one of the most recognisable brands in competitive gaming.
Group B consists of Bilibili Gaming Junior, KT Challengers, CFO Academy and MKOI Fénix. Dplus Challengers, Vivo Keyd Stars Academy, Cupid eSports and FENNEL have been placed in Group C.
Saigon Warriors, Galions, ZSK and Solary complete Group D. The lineup gives the tournament broad geographical representation, bringing together teams from China, South Korea, EMEA, the Americas and several Asian regional leagues.
The draw reportedly followed a three-pool system. Each group had to include one team from Pool 1, one from Pool 2 and two teams from Pool 3. Pool 1 and Pool 2 representatives from the same region could not be placed together, while no group was allowed to contain more than two teams from one region.
During the group stage, teams will play a double round-robin series of best-of-one matches. The top two sides from each group will advance to the playoffs, where the remaining eight teams will compete in best-of-five series. This combination of group and knockout rounds is commonly used in the structure of esports tournaments.
China and EMEA will send three teams each, while South Korea will have four representatives. Three teams will also compete for the Americas, with the remaining places awarded to representatives of the VCS, PCS and LJL.
The WSCI gives academy and regional players an opportunity to gain experience in international esports competition before potentially moving to the highest professional level. However, the reported groups had not been officially confirmed by the tournament organisers at the time of publication.
