Why is it better to finish fourth than third in CBLOL Split 2?

The arrival of a new international competition has recently delighted League of Legends fans. The Demacia Cup Global Invitational will take place from October 3 to October 17, shortly before the start of the Worlds Swiss Stage. It will feature some of the best teams from each region that failed to qualify for the biggest competition of the season.

For the representatives of the CBLOL, however, their participation has raised some questions. The Brazilian league was expected to be the last Tier 1 competition to conclude, with its final originally scheduled for October 10. Given that the top two teams from the region will qualify for Worlds, the third seed would logically be the team invited to participate in the new edition of the Demacia Cup.

However, due to the CBLOL's late schedule, the lower-bracket final of the playoffs is set to take place on October 3, the very same day the international competition begins. The loser of this matchup will therefore technically be the third seed from the CBLOL… but will not be able to participate in the Demacia Cup. As a result, this is the region's fourth seed that will instead be invited to take part.

The team finishing third at the end of the playoffs will therefore find itself in the unfortunate position of missing out on both Worlds and the Demacia Cup. In contrast, the team one place below them will get to compete internationally. Not sure the extra $2,000 awarded for finishing third ($8,000 vs. $6,000 for fourth) will do much to ease the pain of missing out on both international competitions.

The decision has sparked considerable debate within the Brazilian community, with many lamenting the fate of the region's third seed while also welcoming the opportunity to see another Brazilian team compete on the international stage. At present, , and are considered the main contenders for the Split 2 title, meaning one of these teams could potentially find itself in the unfavorable position of either missing out on both events or having to settle for the new competition should they underperform.

In the regular season, also finished level with FURIA and held a three-win advantage over and , making them another potential candidate to finish third or fourth.