After the revamped shorter circuit for RLCS 2024, it’s hard to believe that it’s almost time for the World Championship Finals. This year’s spectacular event is set to take place at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, the same venue which held RLCS 21-22 Worlds.
The 16 qualified teams from around the world will compete for $1,165,500, and the glory of lifting the RLCS 2024 World Championship trophy.
Credit: Rocket League
Here are all of the teams heading to Fort Worth:
Gentle Mates Alpine
Team BDS
Team Vitality
Karmine Corp
G2 Stride
Gen.G Mobil1 Racing
Spacestation Gaming
OGPWR
QuikTrip Pioneers Gaming
FURIA Esports
Team Secret
Team Falcons
Anything
Gaimin Gladiators
Limitless
The 16 teams qualified for the World Championships are based off of their overall season points in their respective region. There are 4 European, 4 North American, 2 Middle-East/North-Africa, 2 South American, 1 Asia-Pacific and 1 Sub-Saharan Africa representatives.
Credit: RLCS
This year, we’ll get to see a new format for the World Championships, as we did for the rest of the year. Previously, there were 24 teams that qualified for Worlds, and the bottom 16 seeds first had to battle through a Swiss stage before meeting the top 8 seeds in the main event.
This year we’re still going to see a Swiss stage, in which all 16 qualified teams will be participating. This is a bit disappointing, as the same Swiss format has been used in every qualifier and every major this year, and it would have been nice to see a different format used for Worlds.
However, luckily the top 8 format has recently been changed by Psyonix. Prior to the change, the top 8 Swiss teams were to be seeded into a single elimination bracket, in the same way that we’ve seen in qualifiers and Majors.
However, now the teams will be seeded into what’s known as the AFL Playoff format. The top 4 Swiss teams start with 2 chances before the final 4, whereas teams ranked 5th-8th have only one life. This is a huge improvement, as it properly rewards the best performing Swiss teams. In an event as stacked as this, having a good seed going into a single elimination bracket would not have been a huge advantage, whereas an extra life will make the Swiss stage all the more exciting with much more on the line.
This is easily the hardest event to predict in recent years, as it feels as though not just any team, but any region could win it all.
North America is looking stronger than ever after two years of European dominance. Many are regarding Beastmode as the best player in the World after his MVP LAN performance, leading G2 to their London Major victory. We also can’t forget about Gen.G, who took G2 to a game 5 overtime in swiss, and we know that as previous Major winners they have what it takes to win on the international stage.
Minor regions are finally showing that they have what it takes to compete with the best in the world. At the London Major, Team Falcons were able to shut down previous Major Winners Gentle Mates on their way to the final, and FURIA eliminated the reigning World Champions, Team Vitality, in the RLCS quarterfinals.
We can’t forget about Europe. As usual, they are the favorite region to win this event, as they are sending four incredibly talented teams to the Major. After their huge shock of not qualifying for London, Karmine Corp have had months to prepare for Worlds. This team, built to become the best in the world, will come out swinging in Fort Worth.
Team Vitality and Team BDS are both previous World Champions, and despite their disappointing London Major results they are still capable of beating every team at this event. And of course, never count Gentle Mates out. The previous Major winners looked incredible in London despite only a top 4 finish, and as Europes #1 seed they have to be one of the favourites for this event.
