Worlds 2024 Swiss draw comes under fire
[Originally published on Esports News UK]
Some League of Legends esports fans have complained about yesterday’s 2024 Worlds draw for the Round 2 Swiss Stage matches.
This came after day one of the Swiss Stage. There was an unexpected mishap, with some of the team labels not inside the balls drawn.
Specifically, in the first 1-0 draw of winning teams, BLG were drawn against an empty ball. LNG were the only team left to be drawn, so BLG will face LNG in the day two matches today.
However, some fans called into question the integrity of the draw. Asking what would’ve happened if the empty ball had been drawn earlier.
Arguing that it would’ve been lighter, and therefore the whole 1-0 draw should’ve been redone.
Then, in the second draw of losing teams, aka the 0-1 draw, GAM Esports were drawn against an empty ball.
This prompted Riot to completely redo the second draw.
The person drawing the balls (Malu Malheiros, Competitive Operations Lead, LEC) and stage host Laure Valée dealt with the situation well, with Malu responding to the situation with a meme:
In addition to all of this, Mad Lions Koi and PSG Talon will face off again following their match in the Play-In qualifiers.
Typically, when there is an issue with the draw, tournament organisers would void the initial draw and restart the entire process.
Despite this, Riot Games has opted to stick with the final draw from the live broadcast, which became a talking point with the community.
Nevertheless, Riot has made its decision, and it would be too late to sort a redraw now, with teams set to play matches today from 2 pm CEST.
Community reacts to 2024 Worlds draw controversy
Notable LoL personalities and fans have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the draw show.
Some have taken a light-hearted approach, whilst others call for Riot to redo the draw for competitive integrity.
