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With the highly anticipated LoL Worlds 2024 closing in, Riot Games announced Linkin Park��s ‘Heavy is the Crown’ single as the official anthem for the upcoming esports event.
The song will be officially released on the LoL YouTube channel and other streaming platforms on Tuesday, September 24, at 8pm PT.
Riot Games�� announcement comes shortly after Linkin Park re-entered the scene with a new single, ‘The Emptiness Machine’.
The song featured a new vocalist, Emily Armstrong, who replaced the late Chester Bennington, and a new drummer, Colin Brittain.
Introducing your #Worlds2024 anthem artist: @linkinpark
"Heavy is the Crown" music video out September 24 at 8am PT: https://t.co/M1nHDC0hou pic.twitter.com/ZotsvzuDBx
— League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) September 23, 2024
��It��s been an amazing experience partnering with Riot to bring this anthem to the global League of Legends community,�� said Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda.
��The song is a real highlight of this new era for us, harnessing our signature sound and infusing it with fresh energy. We��re so excited for players and fans to experience this!��
‘Heavy is the Crown’ is Linkin Park��s second single featuring Armstrong, while the band is set to release a new album, From Zero, shortly after the LoL Worlds 2024 grand finals.
League of Legends World Championship 2024 kicks off on Wednesday, September 25, with the play-in stage featuring eight teams from six regions.
The opening stage will conclude on Sunday, September 29, with the top four sides joining 12 directly qualified squads in the main event.
This year��s event will take place across Germany and France and conclude with the grand finals in England.
It will mark the fifth World Championship to visit Europe and the first since 2021, when it was held in Reykjav��k, Iceland.
The list of participating teams has no surprises, featuring the usual suspects, a few returning faces, and two newcomers in Hanwha Life Esports and FlyQuest.
While the tournament is stacked with some of the world��s elite squads, the LoL betting sites make it clear which three are most likely to claim the coveted Summoner��s Cup.
Gen.G lead the outright markets as $3.75 favourites, followed by China��s Bilibili Gaming at $3.75 and Hanwha Life Esports at $4.50.
G2 Esports are the top Western candidates at $29.00, ahead of Team Liquid and FlyQuest at $41.00 and Fnatic at $51.00.
LoL Worlds 2024 begins with a clash between MAD Lions KOI and Vikings Esports on Wednesday, September 25, at 2pm CEST.
The League of Legends World Championship will kick off on Wednesday, September 25, with 20 of the world’s best teams taking their place in the season-ending tournament.
Meanwhile, the penultimate event of the Counter-Strike 2 BLAST Premier Series will also begin this week, with the Fall Final being held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from September 25-29.
The LoL World Championship will be split into three distinct stages: play-in (September 25-29), Swiss (October 3-7 & 10-13), and knockout (October 17-20, 26-27 & November 2).
With the best 12 teams from the top regions advancing to the Swiss stage following their summer split, the remaining eight squads will compete for the final four spots at the main event through the play-in stage.
GG Bet have marked Gen.G and Bilibili Gaming as the $3.75 equal favourites in the “outright winner” market for LoL Worlds 2024.
Following the top two, Hanwha Life Esports ($4.50), Top Esports ($7.00), T1 ($7.00), and LNG Esports ($9.00) are also kept safe in betting.
Check out our extensive LoL World Championship betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.
The BLAST Premier Fall Final will represent the final chance for teams to qualify for the 2024 World Final in Singapore, with Astralis, Team Liquid and Team Falcons hoping to secure a spot in the US$1 million event.
The other five teams, Team Spirit, Team Vitality, G2 Esports, Natus Vincere and FaZe Clan, have already booked their place in the World Final through Big Event wins and their positions on the BLAST Premier World Leaderboard.
Esports betting sites have Natus Vincere marked as the $3.50 favourite in the “outright winner” market, ahead of Team Vitality ($4.00) and Team Spirit ($5.50).
Check out our extensive BLAST Premier Fall Final betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.
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The match, held in Saint Julians, Malta, went the distance, with NaVi emerging as the champions after a fiercely contested best-of-five series.
This victory marks NaVi’s third Big Event title of 2024 and their fourth consecutive grand final appearance, solidifying their position as one of the top Counter-Strike 2 teams of the year.
ALEKSI'S CURSE HAS BEEN BROKEN.
@natusvincere ARE YOUR #ESLProLeague XX CHAMPIONS @AleksibCSGO @iMeCSGO @w0nderfulof @b1tcs @jLcsgo_ @Navi_B1ad3 pic.twitter.com/CPNudIF3e8
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 22, 2024
NaVi, led by captain Aleksi “?Aleksib?” Virolainen, entered the final as heavy favourites with esports betting sites after a dominant group stage and playoff performance, where they defeated Team Spirit and G2 Esports.
However, Eternal Fire, the underdog Turkish team, pushed NaVi to the limit.
The series opened on Nuke, where Eternal Fire took an early lead, winning the map 13-8, with key contributions from ?zg��r “?woxic?” Eker.
NaVi responded by edging out victories on Anubis (13-11) and Ancient (13-11), though the matches remained intensely close.
Inferno, the fourth map, saw Eternal Fire dominate with a 13-4 victory, setting up a decisive fifth map on Dust2.
The final map mirrored the back-and-forth tension of the series, but NaVi ultimately secured a 13-10 victory, with Justinas “?jL?” Lekavicius delivering a critical triple kill to seal the win.
Following his standout performances throughout the group stage and in each of their three playoff victories, jL was awarded with the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the 20th season of ESL Pro League.
It was the second MVP medal that jL has earned in 2024, after he earned the same award for NaVi when they took out PGL Major Copenhagen in March.
THE #ESLProLeague XX #ESLProTour DHL MVP
JLEGEND @jLcsgo_ @DeutschePostDHL pic.twitter.com/mzk0qELxg4
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 22, 2024
The victory was especially sweet for Aleksib, as it marked his first best-of-five final win after enduring seven consecutive best-of-five series’ losses.
Eternal Fire, despite the loss, made history by becoming the first Turkish team to reach a Big Event grand final, defeating world No. 1 Vitality along the way.
Captain Engin “?MAJ3R?” K��peli reflected on the near-upset, expressing pride in their performance despite the heartbreak of losing such a close series.
Aleksib praised his team��s consistency after the match, emphasising NaVi��s four consecutive grand final appearances and two best-of-five victories this year.
He noted that their teamwork and tactical depth, overseen by coach Andrij “B1ad3” Ghorodensjkyj, were key factors in their success, even on a day when individual performances were not at their peak.
NaVi will quickly shift their focus to the upcoming BLAST Premier Fall Final, which begins on September 25 in Copenhagen, Denmark, while Eternal Fire will have two weeks to lick their wounds before IEM Rio kicks off on October 7.
This marks their second consecutive grand final appearance, following a runner-up finish at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade Season 2.
@eternalfiregg DEFEAT @MIBR 2-0 TO GO TO THE GRAND FINALS OF #ESLProLeague S20
13-7 Nuke
13-10 Inferno pic.twitter.com/ymC0shGuhj— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 21, 2024
The Turkish Counter-Strike team��s captain, Engin “MAJ3R” K��peli, emphasised the importance of discipline, noting that despite having beaten Vitality earlier, MIBR posed a more challenging threat.
Eternal Fire��s performance on Nuke and Inferno highlighted their resilience, as they overcame multiple pistol-round losses to win the maps 13-7 and 13-10, respectively.
Natus Vincere (NaVi), meanwhile, continued their strong form by defeating G2 Esports in the other semi-final.
Despite a narrow loss on Nuke (11-13), NaVi secured decisive wins on Inferno (13-8) and Ancient (13-6).
.@natusvincere make quick work of @G2CSGO on the decider to reach the GRAND FINAL of #ESLProLeague Season 20!
13-8 Inferno
11-13 Nuke
13-6 Ancient pic.twitter.com/psNqRUdfzL— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 21, 2024
Justinas “jL” Lekavicius led NaVi and continued with his outstanding playoff performances, recording a 1.78 rating on Inferno and a 1.49 rating on Ancient.
The win extended NaVi��s unbeaten streak against G2 to 8-0 since they transitioned to an international roster.
Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen��s men now face Eternal Fire in the grand final, with NaVi holding a 4-0 series record against the Turkish side since going international.
Though NaVi enters as the favourite, MAJ3R expressed confidence in Eternal Fire��s chances, stating, “If we play good CS, I think we have a chance to lift this trophy for a Turkish team.”
However, Aleksib still faces personal challenges, having a poor track record in best-of-five grand finals, with five losses and a 2-15 map record.
NaVi’s most recent best-of-five series came at IEM Cologne in August, when they clashed with Team Vitality, who defeated them 3-1 in a back-and-forth grand final.
As for Eternal Fire, their last best-of-five series was at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade, where they were convincingly beaten by Team Spirit 3-0 on September 1.
“Finally we did it, took us quite a while,” said Lithuanian star Justinas “?jL?” Lekavicius, who led NaVi with an incredible 1.80 series rating.
This win marks their first over Spirit in a series of previously one-sided defeats.
Not a problem for @natusvincere
They cruise past @Team__Spirit to reach the semifinals at #ESLProLeague S20
13-5 Dust 2
13-9 Mirage pic.twitter.com/Cu8REmLJWl— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 20, 2024
The Counter-Strike match opened on Dust2, Spirit’s map pick, where Natus Vincere stormed to a commanding 9-3 lead in the first half.
A pivotal 1v3 clutch by jL helped NAVI reach map point, and the game was wrapped up with a 13-5 scoreline.
Spirit’s struggles continued on Mirage, despite Dmitry “?sh1ro?” Sokolov’s standout performance with 18 kills in the first half.
However, NaVi took control in the second half, with jL delivering a monstrous 2.98 counter-terrorist rating, and closed out the map 13-5.
NaVi will face G2 Esports in the semi-finals after G2’s hard-fought 2-1 victory over Team Liquid.
G2 kicked off the series on Inferno, where Ilya “?m0NESY?” Osipov stole the show with multiple clutch moments, helping G2 secure a dominant 13-3 win.
.@G2CSGO take care of @TeamLiquidCS on their way to the #ESLProLeague S20 Semifinals
13-3 Inferno
5-13 Mirage
13-3 Nuke pic.twitter.com/81HY8BmMzs— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 20, 2024
Liquid responded with a strong performance on Mirage, taking the map 13-5 behind a flawless second half.
However, G2 bounced back on Nuke, led by m0NESY��s 22 first-half kills, to secure a crushing 13-3 victory and a place in the semis.
Looking ahead to their showdown with NaVi, G2’s Nikola “?NiKo?” Kova? acknowledged the challenge, calling NaVi “the best team in the world right now.”
Both teams will clash on Saturday, with high stakes and redemption in mind for G2 after multiple past defeats to NaVi.
Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), this data-driven system provides real-time updates on the global standings of all Tier 1 teams, offering fans and analysts an up-to-the-minute view of the competitive landscape.
The Global Power Rankings are based on an Elo model that evaluates both a team’s individual performance and the overall strength of the region they represent.
Introducing LoL Esports Global Power Rankings powered by @awscloud! #Worlds2024
All the info: https://t.co/jUnYJus0en pic.twitter.com/d9OwjnU8q1
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 19, 2024
A team��s Power Score is weighted, with 80% based on their Elo rating and 20% on the strength of their regional league.
This “blended Elo metric” ensures that the rankings reflect both how well teams perform and the difficulty of the competition they face, offering a more balanced perspective on global standings.
One standout feature of the system is its ability to update after every game, rather than only after tournaments or splits.
This real-time tracking provides a dynamic view of team standings as they compete throughout the season, particularly during high-stakes matches.
Furthermore, international events are given more weight in the rankings than regional ones, and elimination matches carry greater significance compared to group-stage games.
This ensures that the most impactful games have a greater influence on the rankings.
Riot has also implemented “Contextualised Match Weighting (K Factors)” to further refine the system, making sure that more important competitions and games influence rankings appropriately.
Additionally, the rankings incorporate performance data from the last three years of regional play and the last two years of team performance, creating stability even amid roster changes.
The Global Power Rankings have been thoroughly tested and are designed with predictive capabilities, offering a reliable indicator of future match outcomes.
Riot has plans for future updates, which may include integrating in-game statistics to further refine the Power Scores and introducing player-based power rankings to evaluate individual impact on matches.
Fans will be able to follow the Global Power Rankings on the LoL Esports website and during official broadcasts throughout Worlds 2024, with the final rankings for the season published after the tournament concludes on November 2nd.
This innovative ranking system is set to transform how League of Legends fans, teams, and analysts understand the competitive scene on a global scale.
Eternal Fire’s win marks the first loss Vitality has faced in two months, a result that came after intense battles on Anubis, Nuke, and Inferno.
The Turkish squad led by ?zg��r “?woxic?” Eker stunned the Counter-Strike community by eliminating the top-ranked team, defying expectations.
@eternalfiregg DEFEAT @TeamVitalityCS TO REACH THE SEMIFINALS AT #ESLProLeague S20
16-14 Anubis
5-13 Nuke
22-20 Inferno pic.twitter.com/mfqiZuHFxh— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 19, 2024
Despite trailing in key moments, Eternal Fire clawed back in critical rounds, with Ali “?Wicadia?” Yal??n pulling off a 1v2 clutch on Anubis, allowing his team to take the map in overtime.
Vitality responded by dominating Nuke with a flawless 6-0 run in the second half, but they couldn’t maintain control on Inferno.
Mathieu “?ZywOo?” Herbaut’s 1v4 clutch offered a glimmer of hope, but Eternal Fire’s resilience saw them close the series in triple overtime.
Eternal Fire��s triumph sets up a semi-final showdown against MIBR, who earlier cruised past M80 with a 2-0 win (13-10, 13-8).
MIBR entered the quarter-finals full of confidence after defeating Heroic 2-1 in the previous round.
.@MIBR defeat @M80gg with a clean 2-0 to reach the top 4 at #ESLProLeague Season 20
13-10 Anubis
13-8 Ancient pic.twitter.com/a8nFMHuCgp— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 19, 2024
Led by Andr�� “?drop?” Abreu, the Brazilian side dominated the American team with strong pistol rounds and early terrorist-side gun control.
Rafael “?saffee?” Costa shone on Anubis with a 28-2 K/D, while Felipe “?insani?” Yuji took over on Ancient, showcasing their ability to shut down any chance of a comeback from M80.
The semi-finals promise high-stakes matchups, with both Eternal Fire and MIBR riding momentum and hoping to secure a spot in the finals.
The 24-year-old decided to leave ENCE to take a break from professional play due to fear of burnout.
In a Twitter post, the Pole stated he feels exhausted from competing at the top level without many breaks, and while his decision to step away is final, Goofy plans to return to the competitive scene.
I��m leaving ENCE & Taking a break
Recent months have been very challenging for me, as I felt that my body is exhausted after a few years of playing without any breaks.
I was thinking a lot about my decision, and I��ve also seen examples of the young players that finished their�� pic.twitter.com/ld0BH0r0En— Goofy (@Goofiacz) September 19, 2024
Goofy’s departure was announced less than a week after ENCE’s early exit from ESL Pro League Season 20.
In Malta, the international lineup placed last with three defeats against Team Liquid, RED Canids, and ATOX Esports.
“First of all, I want to thank Goofy for his time in ENCE. We had some lovely results at the beginning, and the memories from Katowice will live forever,” said ENCE General Manager Niklas “Willkey” Ojalainen.
“However, as things didn’t continue as we had hoped, I fully respect Goofy’s decision to step out of the CS world for a while and recharge. I hope we’ll see him back in the server once again in the future, hitting headshots with a big smile on his face.”
The Polish rifler started his esports career in early 2017 with Vistula Eagles and has, over the next two years, competed mainly in regional competitions.
His breakthrough came in 2018 when Goofy joined x-kom Team, from where he moved to PACT and, in August 2022, signed for 9INE.
With 9INE, Goofy found more success in notable events.
He led 9INE to a runner-up finish at Brazy Party and secured a bronze medal at CCT Season 1 Online Finals #1.
Goofy and two of his 9INE teammates, Kacper “Kylar” Walukiewicz and Aleksander “hades” Mi?kiewicz, were acquired by ENCE in December 2023 as a part of the major roster overhaul.
However, while this move presented the 26-year-old with an opportunity to prove himself at the highest level, success was hard to come by �C with no tournament titles over the eight-month tenure.
The departure of Goofy marks ENCE’s second roster change this month after the arrival of coach Niclas “enkay J” Krumhorn from Entropiq, who replaced Jakub “kuben” Gurczy��ski.
ENCE now have less than four weeks to find a new player and prepare for Elisa Masters Espoo 2024.
The Finnish LAN event will kick off on October 16, featuring eight Counter-Strike teams competing for the lion’s share of a $200,000 prize pool.
Outright betting markets for the event are yet to be available with the top Counter-Strike betting sites.
However, considering ENCE’s roster situation and the presence of strong contenders such as The MogolZ and 9z Team, it is unlikely that Goofy’s former team will be regarded as one of the main candidates to hoist the trophy.
Despite losing the first map on Mirage, MIBR rallied with a hard-fought win on Anubis and then dominated on Nuke to secure the series.
This marks the first time since Season 15 that a Brazilian Counter-Strike team has reached the quarter-finals of the Pro League.
.@MIBR pull off an incredible reverse sweep with a dominant win on Nuke over @heroicgg!
Mirage 13-9
Anubis 10-13
Nuke 5-13 pic.twitter.com/Wpik3lkNmG— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 18, 2024
MIBR, who have only lost one match in Malta so far, will now face the in-form M80 in their first-ever meeting.
Heroic started strong on Mirage, jumping to a 9-3 lead on the terrorist side.
MIBR fought back after the side switch but ultimately faltered in the 21st round, losing to only two guns.
Anubis played out similarly, with Heroic leading much of the first half before MIBR’s resurgence after the break.
Despite a fumble in a 2v1 situation, MIBR kept their composure and closed out the game.
The momentum carried into Nuke, where Felipe “?insani?” Yuji��s standout performance led MIBR to a commanding 9-3 lead.
Though Heroic won the second pistol round, their comeback was stopped by MIBR��s force-buy win.
.@eternalfiregg reverse sweep @1mongolz in order to reach the #ESLProLeague XX Quarterfinals
13-16 Mirage
13-9 Anubis
13-11 Inferno pic.twitter.com/rmP4dVO6xi— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 18, 2024
Eternal Fire also booked their spot in the quarter-finals after a grueling three-map series against The MongolZ.
Mirage saw both teams in near parity, with The MongolZ taking the map in overtime.
However, Eternal Fire bounced back on Anubis, driven by star rifler Ismailcan “?XANTARES?” D?rtkarde?, before taking Inferno in a hard-fought 13-11 victory.
The MongolZ will now regroup for IEM Rio, while Eternal Fire prepare to face Vitality.
.@Team__Spirit speedrun their way past @imperialesports on Dust to win the series 2:0 and reach the quarters at #ESLProLeague S20
16-13 Nuke
13-3 Dust 2 pic.twitter.com/Jlzh5w96wO— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 18, 2024
In other action, Spirit secured a quarter-final berth after defeating Imperial 2-0 in a tense series (Nuke 16-13, Dust2 13-3).
Spirit’s star, Danil “?donk?” Kryshkovets, played a key role in the victory, despite some struggles on Nuke.
Imperial fought valiantly, especially on Nuke, but were ultimately outclassed on Dust2.
Spirit will now face Natus Vincere in the top-eight stage.
Not a problem for @TeamLiquidCS, they take out their NA brothers in @ComplexityCS to reach the top 8 at #ESLProLeague S20
13-2 Nuke
13-7 Anubis pic.twitter.com/t2cNOVSeCv— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 18, 2024
Liquid also cruised into the quarter-finals after dismantling Complexity 2-0 (13-2 Nuke, 13-7 Anubis).
Complexity, who looked solid against FaZe, were overwhelmed by Liquid��s preparation and individual prowess, particularly from Roland “?ultimate?” Tomkowiak and Mareks “?YEKINDAR?” Ga?inskis.
Liquid’s flawless defence on Nuke and clutch performances on Anubis sealed their victory, setting up a quarter-final clash with G2 Esports.
LoL Worlds’ Pick’Em returned on Wednesday, September 18, one week before the League of Legends World Championship 2024 Play-In stage opening game.
Giving the fans a chance to test their knowledge and claim in-game cosmetic items, Pick’Em highlighted an exciting detail involving Rekkles.
Pickems leaked Rekky is the official Worlds SUB for T1? pic.twitter.com/5sBah4M6YW
— Molecule (@MoleculeLOL) September 18, 2024
The former Fnatic star ADC is listed as T1 support for the LoL World Championship, which indicates the possibility of the 27-year-old being involved as a substitute for Ryu “Keria” Min-seok.
The player or the organisation have yet to confirm the information; however, Rekkles’ inclusion in the official LoL Worlds 2024 Pick’Em roster all but confirms he will join T1 on their trip to Europe.
Mainly known for his time at Fnatic as the organisation’s star ADC, the Swede left the region in December 2023 to join T1’s Academy roster.
Despite not being given a chance to appear in Korea’s top league, Rekkles enjoyed a successful debut season with his new team and helped T1 Academy place fourth in the LCK Challenger League 2024 Summer Playoffs.
Rekkles’ lack of involvement with the main lineup does not take away from the possibility of T1 bringing him along on their quest to defend the world championship title.
Yet his role within a team remains uncertain and could be limited to only scrims and an emergency call-up.
In an unlikely scenario where Rekkles replaces Keira as the starting support for T1, LoL Worlds 2024 would mark his seventh appearance on the biggest stage and the first since 2020, when Rekkles helped Fnatic reach the quarterfinals in China.
T1 travels to Europe with a lot to prove following their lacklustre showing in the latter stages of LCK season.
Despite winning the Esports World Cup 2024, the Korean juggernauts struggled to keep up domestically and qualified for the LoL Worlds by the skin of their teeth after placing second in the LCK 2024 Regional Finals.
Priced at $9.00 with League of Legends betting sites, T1 is tied with LNG Esports as the fifth-favourite in the outright betting markets, behind Top Esports, Hanwha Life Esports, and two top contenders in Bilibili Gaming and Gen.G.
LoL Worlds 2024 kicks off on Wednesday, September 28, with the first series of the play-in stage before the main stage begins on October 3.