Updated 2021 League of Legends World Championship Odds After Date, Location and Format Confirmed

• The 2021 League of Legends World Championship begins on October 5th
• Reykjavik, Iceland will host the event after China was originally planned to be the host country
• FunPlus Phoenix enter as the favorites with DWG KIA and Edward Gaming right behind

Following a year of qualification, the 2021 League of Legends World Championship finally gets underway on October 5th. The biggest event of the League of Legend calendar runs all the way until November 6th when a new champion is crowned. Funplus Phoenix comes into the tournament as the favorite in the 2021 League of Legends World Championship odds.

COVID has put several wrinkles in the event as the 2021 League of Legends World Championship will now take place in Reykjavik, Iceland instead of a collection of cities in China. Both teams from the Vietnam Championship Series will also miss yet another international tournament because of COVID restrictions. However, it’s been reported that those teams from the VCS are in talks with Riot to find a way to take part. With that said, the tournament goes on and when all is said and done, a World Champion will be named.

2021 League of Legends World Championship Odds

Odds as of September 16th at Betway

Tournament Format

Before we dive into the World Championship odds, it’s important to iron out the format. Twelve teams have already qualified for the group stage, meaning that there are four open slots. Those spots will be taken by teams competing in two rounds of play-ins. The first round of play-ins features two groups of 5 taking part in a round robin. The top team from each group moves straight to the group stage, with the last place team being eliminated. The remaining six teams will then compete in a small tournament bracket seeded by their round 1 results for the final two slots. Yes, it’s a little convoluted, but eventually 16 teams will compete in the tournament’s group stage. Then eight teams will move on to the exciting best-of-five playoffs.

Here’s a quick rundown of the #Worlds2021 tournament format. Watch live Oct 5th – Nov 6th (PT) at https://t.co/lh1tk7wEe0 pic.twitter.com/vbJWR91dmX

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 15, 2021

The Usual Favorites

Yes, you’re seeing this right. DWG KIA are not the favorites going into Worlds 2021. This is the team that won Worlds 2020, as well as the LCK Spring and Summer seasons. Not only are they the current LCK champions, but they won the title fairly handily. The fact that DWG KIA aren’t the favorites is part of the over-arching idea that the LCK is no longer the de-facto best region in the World. It’s now a much more highly contested debate. Thanks to RNG’s victory over DWG KIA at MSI, a lot of people view China’s LPL as the stronger region.

That’s part of why we now see the LPL’s ‘FunPlus Phoenix’ as the favorites at +200. The confusing part is that FPX isn’t the current LPL champions. That title belongs to Edward Gaming, who shares +350 odds with DWG KIA. Instead, FPX enter as the favorites presumably because of their dominance during the Summer season until their loss to EDG in the finals.

It’s a long way of saying that there’s no clear favorite at this year’s Worlds. At +200, FPX doesn’t seem worth the value when the LPL champions in Edward Gaming are available at +350.

Europe’s Hopefuls

There’s no G2 at this year’s World Championships, which is bizarre to see, but the LEC still has some tough competitors. Fnatic impressed with a miraculous playoff run, and the MAD Lions are now established as the strongest team in Europe. Last year, the MAD Lions made Worlds as an inexperienced team and were eliminated in the Play-Ins. This time they enter with a lot more experience and the confidence that they can hang with the best after a close five game set against DWG KIA at MSI.

They’re a team to keep an eye on, however, they’re a better bet as a top-four finisher rather than the winner of Worlds 2021.

Longshot Bets

Royal Never Give Up has to be mentioned at +800 in the 2021 League of Legends World Championship odds. Although they don’t appear to be the strongest LPL team at the moment, they’re a proven Worlds contender who also defeated DWG KIA to win MSI. T1 and Gen.G out of the LCK also have great value and could potentially excel in the Worlds meta. If you’re an NA hopeful, 100 Thieves might be the strongest team NA has sent to Worlds in a while and would net a massive payout with +5000 odds.

At the end of the day, considering they’re the current LPL Summer champions, Edward Gaming feels like the pick, especially when they’re not the favorites. At +350, this team offers great value in the 2021 League of Legends World Championship odds.

Pick: Edward Gaming (+350)