GAM Esports before going to the U.S. for the 2022 League of Legends World Championship. Photo by GAM Esports
Saigon Buffalo (SGB) and GAM Esports will represent Vietnam at the 2022 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship in North America.
As the champion of Vietnam Championship Series, GAM have qualified directly for the group stage. They will fly to New York to prepare for the first match on October 8.
GAM is the most decorated LoL team in Vietnam with seven VCS titles. The draw puts them in group B, with Rogue (Europe), TES (China) and a team from the play-in round.
SGB, the runner-up of VCS 2022, is one of 12 teams to play in the play-in round, starting from September 30. The team nicknamed “The Buffalos” flew to Mexico to prepare for the opening match against Istanbul Wildcats (Turkey) at 9 a.m. on Sept. 30. At the play-in round, SGB is in group B with Istanbul Wildcats, Isurus (South America), DRX (South Korea), MAD Lions (Europe) and RNG (China).
In this round, the teams will play in a round-robin format. The top two teams of each group will advance to the main event.
This year marks the return of Vietnam to the world championships after a two-year absence due to Covid-19.
The process of applying for a visa for players proved difficult. At one point, some members of GAM and SGB thought it was impossible to get visas to the U.S. and Mexico. But thanks to the help of the consulates of the countries, all members, including players and coaches, were able to travel.
The 2022 LoL World Championships brings together 24 teams from 10 regions. The tournament has a total prize pool of $2.3 million. As usual, the South Korean and Chinese teams are the top rated ones. GenG (South Korea), TES and JDG (China) are the title contenders. The tournament also features Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, widely regarded as the best LoL player in history.