League of Legends Worlds 2023: Which teams will make it to the Grand Finals? Weibo Gaming, Bilibili Gaming, JD Gaming or T1?

The 2023 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship semifinals is just around the corner and only four teams remain in the running to raise the Summoner’s Cup this year.

Among them are three teams from the LoL Pro League (LPL): JD Gaming, BIlibili Gaming, and Weibo Gaming. The only non-Chinese team left are LoL Championship Korea (LCK) hometown heroes T1.

With only the strongest teams remaining, which one will make it through the semifinals? Let’s take a look at each team’s performance, their performance, and their chances.

Weibo Gaming vs Bilibili Gaming

First up are two LPL teams against each other: Bilibili Gaming and Weibo Gaming.

BLG qualified for Worlds after earning 23 Championship points and ranking first in the LPL Regular Summer season.

At Worlds, the team had to go through five rounds in the Swiss Stage, first defeating KT Rolster in Round 1, then getting defeated by JDG in Round 2. They then bounced back in Round 3, where they defeated Fnatic.

They then suffered a crushing defeat against T1, who swept them 2-0, relegating them to the final round of the Swiss Stage, where they defeated G2 2-1 to qualify for the playoffs.

In the quarterfinals, BLG knocked out LCK Champions and heavy tournament favourites Gen.G in a 5-game nailbiter that ended in a 3-2 upset.

Meanwhile, despite finishing sixth in the Summer Regular Season and getting eliminated in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals of the LPL Summer Playoffs, Weibo Gaming qualified at Worlds through the LPL Regional Finals, where they upset 2021 World Champions EDward Gaming.

At Worlds, Weibo was continuously doubted because of their inconsistency. They defeated NRG in the first round but were demolished by LoL European Championship (LEC) first seed G2 in round 2, and suffered a second loss in the hands of South Korean team KT Rolster in round three.

However, Weibo Gaming bounced back in the fourth round, sweeping MAD Lions 2-0, and then taking down another LEC team, Fnatic, 2-1 in the fifth round, to qualify for the Knockout Stage.

Weibo continued to ramp up in the Quarterfinals, finishing off fellow underdog team NRG in the Quarterfinals in a 3-0 sweep.

If you’re to look at the match history, BLG is a shoo-in for the semifinals.

After all, BLG’s Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin easily outclasses Weibo’s Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok, being the fourth strongest top laner at Worlds, with an average KDA of 3.54.

Peng “Xun” Li-Xun, BLG’s jungler, is also ahead of Wei “Weiwei” Bo-Han in the jungle, having the second-highest KDA next to T1’s Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun.

However, we shouldn’t dismiss Weibo Gaming. Take note that Weibo’s mid laner Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao, and their bot lane duo, Wang “Light” Guang-Yu and Liu “Crisp” Qing-Song, outclass their counterparts in BLG (only at Worlds).

Weibo Gaming has repeatedly shut down their doubters throughout the tournament, being called the weakest LPL team throughout the tournament, but delivering and making it through when it counted.

For Weibo Gaming to win, they should be able to disrupt BLG’s top-jungle synergy while keeping their bot lane ahead of the game. And should they continue to ramp up and continue to improve on their form, they might just be able to pull off an upset against BLG.

But if BLG succeed in setting back Weibo’s bot lane and making Xiaohu irrelevant in the mid lane, they should still have it in the bag.

JDG vs T1

The most anticipated match this year is the sold-out semifinal match between Golden Road contenders JD Gaming and South Korean hometown heroes T1.

JDG has won all four championships this year: two LPL championships and the MSI title. They also breezed through the Swiss Stage at Worlds, quickly winning rounds 1-3 against BDS, BLG, and LNG Esports to be one of the first teams to qualify for the Playoffs.

Everyone expected JD Gaming to easily breeze through the quarterfinals against KT Rolster. Instead, the South Korean team stunned everyone, fighting tooth and nail against the LPL giants. In the end, JD Gaming still prevailed, winning the match 3-1.

Meanwhile, T1 struggled throughout the LCK Summer Season when Faker injured his arm but bounced back after his return to qualify for Worlds.

At Worlds, T1 only dropped a game against Gen.G in Round 2 and defeated Team Liquid and Cloud9 in Rounds 1 and 3. They were then able to exact revenge on BLG in a 2-0 sweep to make it to the Playoffs.

T1 stunned LPL’s second-strongest team in the quarterfinals, catching them off guard with off-meta curveballs in the drafts, resulting in a 3-0 sweep.

It would be difficult to only consider player statistics for JDG and T1, especially since their members are topping the KDA charts (with mostly T1 on top).

T1’s strength lie in their ability to surprise their opponents. Currently, their coaches are able to come up with the most ridiculous combinations that leave the opponent flabbergasted.

All members of their team are able to execute the most breathtaking maneuvres, and they also have the LoL G.O.A.T., Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, who seems to be the glue that holds the team together.

However, T1’s playmaking isn’t flawless—they have the tendency to get overexcited in certain matches, or and have admitted to having miscommunication when executing team fights.

Everyone also knows about T1’s quintessential Baron priority—something that opponents have used a lot of times against them.

But according to T1’s video released last week named ”Cogwheel”, T1 are aware of their weaknesses and have been working to make their communication and synergy even better.

Meanwhile, JDG’s coordination is stellar, and even if other teams try to set them back, they can make a comeback through the smallest of details.

Most particularly, Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk is like a machine gun, being able to save a lot of team fights with his clutch moves and firepower. JDG also usually remain composed even when they’re playing from behind.

They only need to capitalise on one mistake to take over the game, so even if their opponents are ahead, the game is never over until a team’s Nexus is destroyed.

My heart says T1, but my head says JDG may possibly take this one. But nothing is ever final, and should T1 overcome their obstacles, keep their current form, stay grounded, and surprise their opponents again in the drafting phase, they just might keep the hope of their nation alive and prevent an LCK-less Grand Final in the home of the LCK.

The semifinal match between Weibo Gaming and BLG will occur on 11 November (Saturday), at 4 P.M. Singapore Time. Then, the battle of the LPL and LCK juggernauts will take place on 12 November (Sunday), at 4.PM. Singapore Time.

Which team are you rooting for?

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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