League of Legends fans have been left disappointed after learning that the South Korean and Chinese national teams cannot meet in the grand final of the 2022 Asian Games.
The 2022 Asian Games committee revealed on Friday the full schedule and the match-ups for the League of Legends tournament, one of the seven esports competitions recognized as medal events in Hangzhou.
China, Malaysia, India, and Saudi Arabia have earned direct berths in the playoffs after winning the “Road to Asian Games” tournaments that were held in four regions. The remaining 11 teams, including South Korea, will have to play the round-robin group stage, featuring best-of-one games.
With only one team progressing from each group, South Korea will need to win Group A, also featuring Hong Kong and Kazakhstan, to progress to the single-elimination playoffs. If that happens, it will be placed on the same side of the bracket as China, with a semi-final clash between the two teams on the horizon.
[항저우 아시안게임]2022 항저우 아시안게임 e스포츠 국가대표 프로필 공개리그 오브 레전드 : 최우제 서진혁 이상혁 정지훈 박재혁 류민석개막까지 단 이틀! 많은 응원 부탁드립니다🔥🎬Coming Soon…#항저우AG #팀코리아오브이스포츠 #최고_그_이상의_투지 pic.twitter.com/rGHHHgC8v7
— 한국e스포츠협회 (KeSPA) (@kespa) September 21, 2023
The Asian Games’ League of Legends tournament is widely regarded as a two-horse race between South Korea and China, the two strongest countries in the game. The competition will certainly add to the long-standing rivalry between the LCK and LPL ahead of Worlds 2023.
On social media and Reddit, many fans have expressed their disappointment that the two teams cannot meet in the final.
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“So sad that Korea and China will have to face in Semis,” one user on Reddit wrote.
“Easier to get silver medal than bronze, crazy,” another user said.
South Korea and China faced each other twice at the 2018 Asian Games, where esports was only a demonstration sport. China snatched the gold with a 3-1 victory in the final after losing the group stage game.
Before his team traveled to Hangzhou for the upcoming event, South Korea star Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok expressed his confidence that his team will come out on top this time around. “I believe we’re the better team, so winning the gold medal will depend on how hard we work,” the T1 player said.