Dan Favale
The League of Legends World Championships always generates a fair amount of buzz among Esports fans. After all, it is the culmination of the entire LoL season, coming on the heels of a grueling qualifications process (more on this in a minute). And while it won’t take place until sometime in the fall, it’s always a good idea to get an early jump on the field.
With that in mind, we’ve got betting odds and predictions for the League of Legends 2021 World Championship.
Here’s a look at the latest LoL World Championship betting odds, courtesy of the folks at BetOnline:
| World Championship Pick |  |
| Edward Gaming | +400 |
| FunPlus Phoenix | +400 |
| DWG KIA | +550 |
| Gen.G | +700 |
| Royal Never Give Up | +700 |
| Top Esports | +800 |
| JD Gaming | +1100 |
| T1 | +1400 |
| G2 | +1400 |
| Fnatic | +1900 |
| Suning | +2400 |
| MAD Lions | +2400 |
| LNG | +2400 |
| Rare Atom | +2800 |
| Cloud9 | +3900 |
| Liquid | +3900 |
| TSM | +3900 |
Remember: You’ll want to double-check these League of Legends betting lines before committing to a World Championship pick. With the competition still months away, BetOnline and other top online sportsbooks will futz with the lines prior to the start of the tournament.
2021 League of Legends World Championship
Seeding for the World Championship can get a little complicated. Teams have to qualify, but there is also a predetermined amount of squads who make it to The Show based on what bracket they’re hailing from.
Fortunately for us, BetOnline narrowed the scope to only the most serious contenders. It’s our job to ask and answer all the right questions and analyze all the pertinent storylines.
For anyone who wants a specific start date on the LoL World Championship, you’ll have to wait a bit. While we know it will end during the first week of November, the start date is TBD after The International 10 tournament was moved from August to the middle of October.
Do Edward Gaming (+400) and FunPlus Phoenix (+400) Deserve To Be Co-Favorites?
It always seems like major League of Legends tournaments have co-favorites. That’s the nature of the beast, we suppose. The field of contenders is wider compared to most team sports, so there’s a larger opportunity for dead-even favorites.
But that doesn’t help explain why both Edward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix are getting the nod.
Really, we take issue with Edward Gaming. They’ve started to show some cracks in their play after losing two straight, and they’ve only amassed 4 percent of their target prize money despite playing through more than 15 percent of their schedule. They’re also beginning to show their inexperience. Many of their players at the top-most positions—Top, Jungle, Mid, etc.—are under the age of 23. In fact, only three players on Edward Gaming’s roster are 23 or older.
This is not to say Edward Gaming isn’t talented. They have won 76 percent of their matches over the past year. At the same time, they haven’t showcased consistent dominance. It feels like they should be closer to Gen.g (+700) and Royal Never Give Up (+700) territory.
We have no such qualms with FunPlus Phoenix. They’ve looked absolutely dominant during their recent five-match winning streak. They’ve won “just” 68 percent of their matches over the last year, but their Jungle positions, featuring Tian and Bo, haven been giving opponents real headaches.
Given how young FunPlus Phoenix’s roster is relative to some of their peers, it’d be more ideal if they were a +500 or something. Overall, though, a 4-to-1 payout on a team playing like an authentic favorite is a pretty big deal.
Is Liquid (+3900) A Potential Sleeper?
Liquid continues to have its hands in all the major Esports leagues. Their squad for Dota 2 is currently the crown jewel after they managed to poach KuroKy from Team Secret after last season.
Things change when moving over to the League of Legends sector. Liquid has been known, in the past, to suffer through losing streaks as long as five games.
But a lot of that has changed this year. Liquid has a bunch of veteran presences at the Mid and Jungle spots, and its Support player is actually the oldest on the roster.
Limiting the amount of inexperience on the docket has looked good on them. Liquid is not drowning in victories, but they’ve won 63 percent of their matches this season. They’ve also had a number of secondary finishes that aided their all-around metrics, a second-tier performance that has already net them nearly 17 percent of their target prize money.
We get why oddsmakers are not super high in the pecking order. They’ve been solid, not great. A true World Championship contender would have a more bankable winning percentage. But given the sheer number of Liquid’s almost victories, it makes a lot of sense to keep them on your radar—particularly when they’re paying out 39-to-1.
Is Top Esports (+800) Undervalued?
How does a team that has won more than 70 percent of its matches over the last year and routinely become monstrous favorites in matchups versus non-contenders lay a +800? Look no further than the top of their roster.
Player 369 mans their Top position, and he’s only 19. Given the importance of that role to winning literally every single match, the youthful upside works against Top Esports. They’re often heavily favored in one-off situations while billed as long shots in tournaments, thought being 369 will turn in higher-variance performances
And yet, 369 helped Top Esports rattle off 11 straight victories last season as an 18-year-old. It’s time to stop worrying about his stability scores. He’s more proven than credited. And if you can trust Top Esports’ top player, you should automatically realize their odds err in your favor.
2021 LoL World Championship Prediction
It’s mighty tough to make this prediction so far out from the World Championship. We might need to revisit this situation down the line.
For now, FunPlus Phoenix has our vote. They’ve absolutely slaughtered opponents during their recent winning streak, not only winning decidedly but early. There might be some variability in their performance, as evidenced by a sub-70 percentage, but the upside of a team that can pull off immediate victories and outright sweeps is tough to ignore.
MTS World Championship Prediction: FunPlus Phoenix (+400)
Check out this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which ones to use for all your Esports betting:
