League of Legends 2021 Worlds quarterfinals predictions: Which four teams will move one step closer to glory?

After a whirlwind of play in the group stage of the League of Legends Worlds tournament, eight teams remain as the victors from their pools. The LCK pulled a team from each group, further reminding the world of their presence and domination in international events like Worlds. As a surprise, North America and the LCS sent a team forward as Cloud9 miraculously escaped the group of death among Damwon Kia and FunPlus Phoenix.

Only two teams from the LPL managed to survive, Edward Gaming and Royal Never Give Up. Perhaps one of the most shocking results of the group stage was how poorly FPX played, as many League of Legends analysts, players, and fans predicted them make a great run in the Knockout bracket. Finally, on the last day of the group stage, MAD Lions took second place in Group D to represent the LEC after winning three of their five games, including a tie-breaker against LNG Esports that secured their spot in the next round.

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Quarterfinals bracket predictions for the League of Legends 2021 Worlds

1) Royal Never Give Up vs Edward Gaming

Prediction: EDG wins 3-2

Edward Gaming and Royal Never Give Up may be the closest best of 5 in the first four series of the knockout stage of the League of Legends Worlds tournament. EDG and RNG both lost to teams that didn't advance, revealing their cracks and showing everyone else they could be beaten.

However, in the end, EDG plays with more patience and focus on objectives. They also possess arguably the best bot lane combo in the entire tournament with Viper and Meiko. EDG plays like a Korean team, so they'll handle the back and forth series against RNG.

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2) Gen.G Esports vs Cloud9

Prediction: C9 wins 3-2

Cloud 9 is North America's miracle team in the League of Legends Worlds tournament. They were able to rally behind their mid laner, Perkz, and defeated several good teams to get where they are. Most analysts would say they gave Damwon Kia their most challenging game as well. C9 has proved to the world that they are here to play, and Gen.G faltered in their group against other western teams.

The main factor of this series lies within C9's ability to maintain its composure. They have the potential to pull off a good run in this bracket, but it depends on if they can continue their momentum.

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3) T1 vs Hanwha Life Esports

Prediction: T1 wins 3-1

The T1 team that showed up for the Worlds tournament differs heavily from the T1 team LCK and League of Legends fans saw in their Summer Split. T1 is playing out of their minds and nearly had a perfect group stage. They lost to EDG once and then turned around to beat them handily. On top of that, the synergy between Oner and Faker has enabled T1 to dominate map and objective control.

HLE won't be able to withstand T1's ability to swarm a League of Legends game in a flash. They put up a good fight against the teams in Group C, but none compare to T1 if they play at the same level.

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4) Damwon Kia vs MAD Lions

Prediction: DK wins 3-0

The miracle lap for the LEC will end here at the hands of the defending League of Legends world champions. DK was the only team in the group stage to finish undefeated, and they haven't shown any signs of stopping until they reach the trophy at the end. MAD Lions were able to defeat the teams in their group, but DK is on another level.

While DK showed a slight crack in one of their games against C9, ShowMaker might be the best player at the League of Legends 2021 Worlds and will take control of the game by force. To make matters worse for MAD, DK's coach, Kkoma, has been in these situations before and is more than prepared to spring to the finish line.

The winning odds for different teams are listed here.