Worlds 2023 dark horse teams to watch

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, we’re not talking about Christmas; that’s still over two months away. We mean the League of Legends World Championship. October and early November are the most-anticipated months for League fans worldwide due to the annual Worlds event, which this year will be held in a country many might consider the capital of esports, South Korea.

The tournament is packed with the strongest teams from each region. Usually, champions and sometimes runners-up from the four major regions are considered the strongest representatives, aside from China and Korea, which have been delivering four trophy contenders for the past few years. Still, despite a few favorites, there are some dark horse teams at Worlds 2023, and they fully deserve your attention.

Each year has at least one dark horse team that’s worth following. Sometimes, they even exceed expectations and reach the finishing stages of the tournament. You don’t have to look back far for such an example: In 2022, DRX were a prime example of a dark horse team, and they not only exceeded expectations but won the Summoner’s Cup. 

Dark horses are immensely fun to follow and support thanks to their low expectations and risky gameplay. With the newest Worlds format, which replaces the traditional group stage with a Swiss stage, there’s much more room for potential upsets and deep dark horse runs. 

Without further ado, here’s our selection of the dark horse teams at Worlds 2023 that you need to pay attention to.

KT Rolster

When it comes to South Korea’s representatives, Gen.G and T1 are clear favorites to fight for the trophy. But history likes to repeat itself, and if last year is a good indicator, you should never underestimate LCK teams, especially ones like KT Rolster this year.

The squad clinched their Worlds spot after a clean victory over Hanwha Life in the 2023 LCK Regional Finals. Before that, they came in first place in the 2023 LCK Summer Split regular season, losing only one series. In the playoffs, though, they had one kryptonite: T1, who beat them twice with a 3-2 score. 

On paper, KT is a squad full of veterans who know all too well how to handle the pressure that comes with playing on an international stage. At the same time, their roster is relatively young and showed great synergy in the LCK this season.

In the eyes of many, before the playoffs, they were the favorites to fight for the LCK trophy alongside Gen.G, but time showed they still needed polishing. They should have fixed their mistakes by the time Worlds 2023 comes around, and by being “only” the LCK’s third seed at the event, they won’t have the pressure of being Korea’s standout team.

Fnatic

Fnatic got stomped in the 2023 LEC Season Finals by G2 Esports, but they shouldn’t be disregarded at the upcoming international tournament. Their mixture of experience and explosive gameplay could be enough to help them pull off an upset or two. Sure, a case could be made regarding whether Oscarinin is fit to play on the international stage after he missed the 2023 LEC Season Finals due to an injury. But with enough guidance from his teammates and a calm mind, he should be ready to hold his own in the top lane if he’s able to recover in time for Worlds.

Fnatic seemed to gain steam with each week this year. After a horrendous start, missing out on the Winter and Spring Playoffs, only true fans believed in them booking a flight to South Korea. Yet, here they are, and it’s thanks to some risky moves in the middle of the season, and even riskier (albeit confident) play. 

They’ve been focusing their game on Noah and Trymbi in the bot lane, and it has paid off so far. In the 2023 LEC Summer Split, Noah finished with a jaw-dropping 22.2 KDA, with the next closest ADC being Hans Sama at 6.5, according to League stats site Oracle’s Elixir. Trymbi was also the best support in that regard with a 6.8 KDA, according to Oracle’s Elixir. This duo is often the main force in Fnatic’s mid-game calls, where Razork and Oscarinin play the frontline and Humanoid cleans up.

If Fnatic get a head start, they could be as dangerous as ever, even against Korean or Chinese competition.

Team Liquid

Liquid were one of the most-hyped Western squads heading into 2023 after acquiring players like 2022 world champion Pyosik and 2022 LCS Spring Split MVP Summit. Similarly to Fnatic, they went through some struggles early on, missing the Spring Playoffs. But they finally got their stuff together in the summer to claim third place in the 2023 LCS Championship and qualify for Worlds 2023.

Don’t let their early 2023 woes fool you, though. On paper, it’s arguable that Liquid are one of the most talented teams in the West. With two world champions, two incredible North American talents, and a renowned top laner, they could cause trouble for anyone who underestimates them at Worlds. 

From 2018 to 2021, Liquid attended Worlds and went 3-3 each year, being one win away either from qualifying further or at least securing a tiebreaker. Surely after going 3-3 four times, the curse will be broken, right?

Either way, with a new format and not many expectations, Liquid could become a team to surprise everyone and make North America proud at Worlds 2023.