After the conclusion of the Worlds 2023 Play-In stage on Oct. 15, the first matchups for the upcoming Swiss Stage were drawn. On the same day, one fan shared on Reddit an alternative result of the draw if the tournament still had the previous Group Stage format.
In such a draw, the groups would be somewhat even, though, in each of them the Korean and Chinese teams would be heavy favorites to advance, like it was for the past few years at Worlds. The groups would look as follows, according to the post.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Gen.G | NRG | G2 Esports | JD Gaming |
| Cloud9 | T1 | Bilibili Gaming | Fnatic |
| MAD Lions | LNG Esports | Team Liquid | KT Rolster |
| Weibo Gaming | Team BDS | Dplus KIA | GAM Esports |
If you’re having some trouble understanding some of the draws, don’t worry, we did too. The key to understanding it is the order of drawing pools. Pool one would be drawn first, as it was made yesterday, but, then it would be followed with the second, third, and fourth pools drawn, respectively. With that in mind, the groups would look as presented above.
The eventual Group Stage would still feature some matchups that are set in the first round of the Swiss Stage. Cloud9 and MAD Lions are set to clash with each other, similar to G2 Esports and Dplus KIA, for example. In the “Group Stage,” they were drawn to the same groups.
Still, under the Reddit post, fans underlined how much they cherish the new format and the changes it introduces. They make some valid points as well. Fans point out how in the old group stage format, Korean and Chinese teams would undoubtedly be the favorites, with the potential G2 or C9 miracle run possible but nothing besides that.
With the first two rounds of the Swiss Stage being best-of-ones, there is a significant upset potential at Worlds 2023. Therefore, the event should be as spicy as ever, and we can’t wait for Oct. 19, when the Swiss finally begins.
