In the early morning of October 19 (KST), the 2026 LoL World Championship Swiss Stage draw ceremony was held at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, USA.
In Round 1 of the Swiss Stage, teams from Pool 1 (Gen.G Esports, Team Liquid Alienware, G2, AL) and Pool 4 (Dplus KIA, IG, CFO, Karmine Corp) will face each other, while teams from Pool 2 (LOS, TSW, Hanwha Life Esports, BLG) will play against Pool 3 (MKOI, LYON, T1, TES). Matchups between teams from the same region are not permitted. From subsequent rounds onward, teams with the same win-loss record will face each other, and teams will not encounter an opponent they have already played against.
Following the draw results, LCK's #1 seed Gen.G Esports will take on LPL's #4 seed IG. #2 seed Hanwha Life Esports will meet LPL's #3 seed TES. #3 seed T1 will clash with CBLOL's LOS, and lastly, #4 seed Dplus KIA has been matched against LEC's #1 seed G2.
Two LCK-LPL clashes are set right from Round 1. Anticipation is building over whether Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports, considered the "top two" contenders this season, will showcase the strength of the LCK against the LPL. LCK's lowest seed, Dplus KIA, faces a tough opponent right out of the gate in European powerhouse G2. Meanwhile, T1 is expected to have a smooth start as the only LCK team paired against Brazil's LOS, outside the four major leagues.
