The 2024 World Championship is in full swing, and after three rounds of the Swiss Stage, the first teams have secured playoff spots. As the competition intensifies, teams are not only competing for progression but also breaking personal viewership records. The Swiss Stage has seen an increase in unique broadcast channels, and Portuguese-language streams are gaining popularity, while AfreecaTV’s viewership has dropped compared to last year.
To qualify for the Knockout Stage, teams need three wins. So far, only Gen.G Esports and LNG Esports have achieved this. As expected, teams from the LCK and LPL dominate the top rankings, though there have been a few surprises.
Chinese teams Bilibili Gaming and Weibo Gaming, both sitting on two losses, are now one series away from elimination. If they face off in the fourth round, it will result in the first elimination of a major team in the tournament.
In the danger zone, four teams with two losses—GAM Esports, MAD Lions KOI, paiN Gaming, and Team Liquid—are also at risk. By the evening of October 7, two of these teams will be eliminated.
2024 World Championship Swiss Stage Viewership Trends
Viewership during the Swiss Stage has surged by 60% compared to the Play-In stage, continuing a trend seen in Worlds 2023. However, peak viewership has risen sharply by 96% this year, compared to just 50% last year.
Growth in Unique Channels. The 2024 World Championship surpassed last year’s Play-In stage in terms of unique broadcast channels, and this trend continued into the Swiss Stage, with a 20% increase compared to Worlds 2023.
New Viewership Records. Several teams have hit new viewership milestones during the Swiss Stage:
- Top Esports — 2.82 million peak viewers (vs T1)
- paiN Gaming — 2.35 million PV (vs T1)
- Hanwha Life Esports — 2.29 million PV (vs G2 Esports)
- Team Liquid — 2.02 million PV (vs Weibo Gaming)
- GAM Esports — 1.52 million PV (vs Fnatic)
Some teams, like Hanwha Life Esports, have broken viewership records twice in this tournament.
Community Caster Records. Over the weekend, several streamers set new personal records. Caedrel, a popular English-language community caster, drew over 227,400 concurrent viewers during the G2 Esports vs Weibo Gaming match, while German streamer Tolkin reached over 51,300 viewers during the same game.
Language and Platform Trends. The 2024 World Championship is outperforming last year in terms of overall viewership, especially in specific language markets. Portuguese-language streams have seen a remarkable increase, with viewership jumping by 230%, thanks to paiN Gaming’s success. However, AfreecaTV has experienced a significant decline, with peak and average viewership down 20-23%, and total watch time reduced by nearly two-thirds compared to last year. Many viewers have switched to newer platforms like CHZZK, which didn’t exist last year.
The final Swiss Stage matches will take place on October 13, when the eight teams advancing to the Knockout Stage will be confirmed.
