Riot Games has revealed the full schedule, format and list of qualified teams for the 2026 League of Legends World Championship (Worlds 2026), which begins on October 15th.
Worlds is the yearly international tournament for League of Legends, the team-based strategy game developed and published by Riot. This year, 19 teams from six regional leagues will play across Los Angeles, Allen in Texas and Brooklyn in New York, with the final set for November 14th.
The tournament's theme is 'THIS IS OUR MOMENT'. According to Riot's announcement, the theme puts pros, fans and the wider LoL Esports scene (Riot's competitive League of Legends circuit) at the centre of the event, which the company described as "a shared moment a year in the making." Riot has also published the official rulebook and event policies, and it advised fans attending in person to check each venue's own rules before they travel.
Worlds 2026 schedule and start times
Worlds 2026 is split into three stages. The Play-In Stage runs from October 15th to 18th, the Swiss Stage from October 23rd to 31st and the Knockout Stage from November 3rd to 14th. In the times listed below, CST refers to China Standard Time unless marked otherwise.
The Play-In Stage takes place in Los Angeles, California, and every series is a best-of-five (Bo5). All four match days start at 11 AM PDT / 8 PM CEST / 2 AM CST (+1) / 3 AM KST (+1):
- Thursday, October 15th
- Friday, October 16th
- Saturday, October 17th
- Sunday, October 18th
The Swiss Stage then moves to Allen, Texas, where series are played as either best-of-ones (Bo1) or best-of-threes (Bo3). Start times shift during the stage, so here is the full breakdown:
- Friday, October 23rd: 12 PM CDT / 7 PM CEST / 1 AM CST (+1) / 2 AM KST (+1)
- Saturday, October 24th: 12 PM CDT / 7 PM CEST / 1 AM CST (+1) / 2 AM KST (+1)
- Sunday, October 25th: 12 PM CDT / 6 PM CET / 1 AM CST (+1) / 2 AM KST (+1)
- Monday, October 26th: 12 PM CDT / 6 PM CET / 1 AM CST (+1) / 2 AM KST (+1)
- Wednesday, October 28th: 3 PM CDT / 9 PM CET / 4 AM CST (+1) / 5 AM KST (+1)
- Thursday, October 29th: 3 PM CDT / 9 PM CET / 4 AM CST (+1) / 5 AM KST (+1)
- Friday, October 30th: 3 PM CDT / 9 PM CET / 4 AM CST (+1) / 5 AM KST (+1)
- Saturday, October 31st: 12 PM CDT / 6 PM CET / 1 AM CST (+1) / 2 AM KST (+1)
Every series in the Knockout Stage is a best-of-five. The quarterfinals and semifinals stay in Allen and start at 4 PM CST (US Central) / 11 PM CET / 6 AM CST (+1) / 7 AM KST (+1), before the final moves to Brooklyn:
- Tuesday, November 3rd: quarterfinals
- Wednesday, November 4th: quarterfinals
- Thursday, November 5th: quarterfinals
- Friday, November 6th: quarterfinals
- Saturday, November 7th: semifinals
- Sunday, November 8th: semifinals
- Saturday, November 14th: final in Brooklyn, 2 PM EST / 8 PM CET / 3 AM CST (+1) / 4 AM KST (+1)
Worlds 2026 qualified teams
China and Korea have sent four teams each to Worlds 2026, Brazil has two, and the other three leagues have three apiece. Brazil's seeding is still to be settled, as the CBLOL Finals take place on October 10th. The full list of qualified teams is as follows:
- China, League of Legends Pro League (LPL): Anyone's Legend (AL), Bilibili Gaming (BLG), TOP Esports (TES), Shanghai Invictus Gaming Meituan (IG)
- Korea, League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK): Gen.G (GEN), Hanwha Life Esports (HLE), T1, Dplus Kia (DK)
- Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC): G2 Esports (G2), Movistar KOI (MKOI), Karmine Corp (KC)
- North America, League Championship Series (LCS): Team Liquid Alienware (TLAW), LYON, Cloud9 Kia (C9)
- Asia Pacific, League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP): Team Secret Whales (TSW), CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO), MVK Esports (MVK)
- Brazil, Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLOL): LOS, FURIA (FUR)
How the Worlds 2026 format works
Four teams start in the Play-In Stage: KC, C9, MVK and Brazil's second seed. The stage is a double-elimination bracket, which means a team has to lose two series before it is knocked out. Matchups come from a fully random draw after the CBLOL Finals on October 10th, so any team can face any other, and only the winner goes through to the Swiss Stage.
The Swiss Stage features 16 teams and lasts up to five rounds. A team that reaches three match wins advances to the Knockout Stage, while a team that picks up three match losses is eliminated.
Round 1 pairings will be drawn on October 18th, after the Play-In Stage ends. For that draw, Riot has split the teams into four tiers:
- Tier 1: GEN, AL, TLAW, G2
- Tier 2: Brazil's first seed, TSW, HLE, BLG
- Tier 3: LYON, MKOI, T1, TES
- Tier 4: CFO, IG, DK, Play-In winner
In Round 1, Tier 1 teams will face Tier 4 teams and Tier 2 teams will face Tier 3 teams. Two teams from the same region cannot be drawn against each other in this opening round.
From Round 2 onwards, teams are drawn against random opponents with the same record, so a 1-0 team will play another 1-0 team. No team will face the same opponent twice during the Swiss Stage, although same-region matchups are allowed after Round 1. These later draws take place on October 23rd, 24th, 26th and 30th.
The eight remaining teams then go into the quarterfinals draw on October 31st. The two teams that finished the Swiss Stage 3-0 will each be drawn at random against a team that finished 3-2. The other four teams will be paired at random for the last two quarterfinals.
Worlds Fan Fest at Pier 36
Riot will also run Worlds Fan Fest at Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan from November 12th to 14th, in the lead-up to the final. According to the announcement, the event will include interactive experiences and activations from Riot and its partners, and the main stage will host developer panels, special guests and community programmes. More details are due soon, but the opening hours are already confirmed:
- Thursday, November 12th: 3 PM to 9 PM EST
- Friday, November 13th: 3 PM to 9 PM EST
- Saturday, November 14th: 11 AM to 8 PM EST
Worlds 2026 Pick'Ems and Crystal Ball
Pick'Ems, Riot's prediction game powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), is returning for Worlds 2026 alongside Crystal Ball. Riot said both will come with new rewards this year. Fans can make their picks at lolesports.com/pickems or in the League of Legends client, with these key dates to keep in mind:
- October 10th, 4 PM PDT: Crystal Ball and Play-In picks open
- October 15th: Play-In picks lock before the first match
- October 18th: Swiss picks open
- October 23rd: Swiss picks lock before the first match
- October 31st: Knockout picks open
- November 3rd: Knockout Stage picks lock before the first match
- November 14th: Pick'Ems scores are finalised after the final, with Riot aiming to send out rewards within 48 hours
Crystal Ball predictions will be scored after Worlds ends, with performance-based tier rewards expected on or around November 14th. Anyone who believes they qualified for a reward but has not received it by November 21st has been told to contact Player Support.
In-game skins and items
The featured skin for Worlds 2026 is True Damage Know My Name Yasuo. It will be sold alongside individual chromas (colour variants of a skin), a border set and chroma bundles. An exclusive Worlds chroma will also be available through purchases of Worlds Unlocked.
The Season 3: Worlds 2026 Pass includes a Prestige Chroma and a Prestige Emote, and its premium versions add extra Mythic Essence and Battle Pass levels. Team icons and regional emotes for the LPL, LEC, LCK, LCS, LCP and CBLOL are also back. Riot is bringing back Elite Worlds Winner Chromas as well, this time for the 2013 SKT T1 K championship skins.
According to Riot, part of the revenue from the True Damage Yasuo skin and bundles, the Worlds pass, the Elite Worlds Winner Chromas, team icons and regional emotes will be shared with tier-one LoL Esports teams. The International Tournament Skin Promotion is also returning, letting players buy eligible skins used by the winning team in the final at 33% off.
Prestige, Ultimate, Mythic Variant, Exalted and Transcendent skins are not part of the promotion. If one of these skins is used in the final, Riot will replace it with a comparable eligible skin.
Worlds 2026 merchandise
The Worlds 2026 merchandise collection will include the fourth edition of Worlds Unlocked, presented by Opera GX, and a Worlds-themed keepsake from Riftbound, Riot's League of Legends trading card game. Riot also confirmed collaborations and pieces inspired by New York City, with more details set to be revealed on October 7th.
Fans in North America and Europe can buy items through the Riot Games Merch Store, while fans in Korea can use Riot Store KR. In China, the range will be sold through Tmall, Douyin and JD.
