In the early hours of October 16 KST, at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, USA, Vietnam's MVK Esports defeated FURIA—Brazil's representative and an international tournament regular—3-0 in the Play-In Stage of the 2026 LoL World Championship (Worlds).
MVK Esports made their return to Worlds after two years as the LCP's third seed, showing steady growth after rising from 7th to 3rd place in their region. Facing them was FURIA, a team representing Brazil's CBLOL that is quite familiar to fans who have followed international events over the years.
In Game 1, FURIA opened with a solo kill in the top lane as Guigo's Jax eliminated Kratos' Olaf, while a 1-for-1 kill trade took place in the bottom lane. Minor skirmishes followed with additional kill trades, keeping the gold gap virtually nonexistent. However, FURIA took the upper hand by catching MVK's mid-laner and jungler to secure Baron, but MVK successfully weathered FURIA's Baron power play. Later, MVK took the next Baron while FURIA claimed the Dragon Soul. The immediate value of the Baron buff proved greater, and MVK caught out Ayu's Yunara, capitalizing on their Baron buff to push all the way to the Nexus and secure the win.
Riding the momentum of their Game 1 victory, MVK played with even greater confidence in Game 2. From the early game, they orchestrated aggressive skirmishes, utilizing tower dives and continuous fights to dictate the tempo. While FURIA may have been cleaner in macro execution, MVK showcased the trademark Vietnamese strength in teamfighting and skirmishing, widening the gap through battle victories to win Game 2 and reach match point at 2-0.
Game 3 was an even more overwhelming victory. MVK seized control from the very start as Kratos' Zahen scored a solo kill in the top lane, followed by a one-sided victory in a bottom lane fight involving both junglers. FURIA were repeatedly dragged into MVK's pace and failed to execute their own game plan. MVK smoothly snowballed their early lead without any major hiccups, closing out the game in just 27 minutes to win their Worlds debut match 3-0.
