2022 LPL Summer playoffs: Bracket, matchups, and format, explained

The LPL Summer Split came to a close earlier today and as the regular season reached the finish line, professional League of Legends in China firmly set its eyes on the playoffs. The LPL will be the first major region in the world to begin its postseason, with only 48 hours between the end of the Summer Split and the beginning of the playoffs. 

With 10 teams making it into the playoffs, two parallel brackets of both double and single-elimination formats, and a dozen matches across the entire postseason, the LPL’s playoff format is unlike any other in professional League of Legends. 

The LPL’s playoff bracket begins with two single-elimination brackets that eventually converge into one double elimination bracket. Four teams will be eliminated from the playoffs before the bracket reaches its double elimination phase. The LPL’s regular season stresses the importance of earning a top four placement, as double elimination is only a factor beyond round three of the LPL playoffs, which the top four teams from the Summer Split automatically qualify for. 

With this unique format in mind, here are the matchups and game dates for the LPL’s 2022 Summer Playoffs. 

Round One

Aug. 16

• OMG vs. FunPlus Phoenix

Aug. 17

• Bilibili Gaming vs. LNG Esports

Round Two

Aug. 18

• Edward Gaming vs. OMG/FPX

Aug. 19

• Weibo Gaming vs. LNG/BLG

Round Three

Aug. 20

• Royal Never Give Up vs. TBD

Aug. 21

• Victory Five vs. TBD

Round Four

Aug. 22

• Top Esports vs. TBD

Aug. 23

• JD Gaming vs. TBD

Aug. 24

• TBD vs. TBD (Losers’ Bracket)

Semifinals

Aug. 26

• TBD vs. TBD

Aug. 28

• TBD vs. TBD

Grand Finals

Sept. 1

• TBD vs. TBD

Seeds five through 10 in the LPL will begin the playoffs in a single-elimination bracket that embraces a “king of the hill” style of elimination, with seeds five and six awaiting the winners of matchups between the lowest four seeds in the second round of the postseason. Once the field has been narrowed down to the top six, double elimination will kick in. The teams that lose in round three will still advance to round four, but will be slotted into the Losers’ Bracket, where their next loss would spell their elimination. 

Following the league’s grueling postseason, the LPL Summer Finals will be played on Sept. 1. The champion of the league will claim China’s number one seed at this year’s World Championship. The region as a whole will send four teams to the event, with the top three teams from the playoffs automatically qualifying for the group stage and the fourth place squad earning a ticket to the Play-In stage of Worlds. 

OMG and FPX will kick off the 2022 LPL Summer Playoffs on Aug. 16 at 4am CT.