The 2024 Worlds Championship is approaching its final stage. From an initial field of 20 competitors, only the top four teams remain, having advanced through the Knockout Stage. The championship will ultimately be decided between South Korea and China, but first, the semifinals will feature two domestic showdowns between representatives from these countries.
The four quarterfinal matches of the 2024 Worlds Championship were held from October 17 to 20. Chinese teams dominated the first two series: Weibo Gaming defeated their fellow Chinese team, LNG Esports, while Bilibili Gaming overcame the Korean squad, Hanwha Life Esports. Interestingly, viewership for these matches was lower than some of the group stage games.
The following two quarterfinals, however, captured much more fan interest. The standout match was the clash between T1 and Top Esports. These teams previously met in the Esports World Cup 2024 final, where T1 claimed victory. In the Swiss Stage of Worlds 2024, Top Esports managed to turn the tables on the reigning world champions. The decisive encounter in the Knockout Stage was set to resolve the rivalry, with T1 emerging as the victor in a convincing series. This match attracted over 3.6 million concurrent viewers, making it the most-watched quarterfinal in Worlds history.
The final quarterfinal between Gen.G and FlyQuest was arguably the most dramatic: the favorite narrowly avoided an upset by the North American “dark horse.” FlyQuest was on the brink of victory, but they couldn’t close out the fourth map, eventually losing the fifth. Despite falling short of a major upset, the intense battle drew nearly as many viewers as the T1 vs. Top Esports match.
Across all four quarterfinals, the 2024 Worlds Championship amassed a total of 33.9 million Hours Watched—a 47% increase over last year. Average viewership for the quarterfinals rose by 42%, while peak viewership saw a 20% increase. The most significant gains were seen in English and Vietnamese broadcasts, while Korean viewership dipped slightly compared to last year’s T1 vs. LNG series.
The marquee matchup of the quarterfinals was T1 vs. Top Esports, which peaked at 3.6 million concurrent viewers and set a new personal record for Top Esports. HLE, FlyQuest, and Gen.G also reached new peaks, with Gen.G expected to surpass this in their upcoming match against T1.
In addition to team accomplishments, streamers set records too. British community caster Caedrel hit a personal best with over 340.7K concurrent viewers during the FlyQuest vs. Gen.G series, marking the highest viewership in his channel’s history. Caedrel currently leads in Hours Watched and Average Viewers among all channels covering Worlds 2024.
The first semifinal will be held on October 26, featuring Weibo Gaming versus Bilibili Gaming—a repeat of the 2023 Worlds semifinal, where Weibo Gaming narrowly won 3-2 before falling to T1 in the final. The second semifinal is scheduled for October 27, with Gen.G facing off against T1. This highly anticipated Korean derby is expected to set new records for semifinal viewership, highlighting a historic rivalry between two giants of the LCK, the world’s most popular league. More details on their past encounters can be found in our match history database.