© 2026 Riot Games. All Rights Reserved.
© 2026 Riot Games. All Rights Reserved.
The 2026 League of Legends World Championship is almost here. Worlds is the pinnacle of competition, where the best teams from leagues around the globe face off for the ultimate title. This year’s theme is THIS IS OUR MOMENT: Worlds 2026 is more than the culmination of the LoL Esports season, it’s a shared moment a year in the making. THIS IS OUR MOMENT puts everyone at the center of that history. For pros, it’s a chance to push beyond their limits. For fans, it’s a chance to show up and make the moment bigger. For the ecosystem, it’s an opportunity to create the moments we’ll remember for years to come. Because history doesn’t happen without you. Make your moment count.
The official rules of the 2026 World Championship can be found here. The event policies can be found here - make sure to also check each venue’s rules and regulations before you go!
Here’s everything you need to know!
Worlds has three stages: the Play-In Stage (October 15-18), the Swiss Stage (October 23-31) and the Knockout Stage (November 3-14).
Play-In Stage (Bo5) - Los Angeles, CA
All matches begin at 11 AM PDT / 8 PM CEST / 2 AM CST (+1) / 3 AM KST (+1)
Swiss Stage (Bo1, Bo3) - Allen, TX
Knockout Stage (Bo5) - Allen, TX, and Brooklyn, NY
Quarterfinals and Semifinals begin at 4 PM CST / 11 PM CET / 6 AM CST (+1) / 7 AM KST (+1)
This year, the teams competing from each of the different regions are:
CHINA – LPL
Anyone’s Legend (AL)
Bilibili Gaming (BLG)
TOP Esports (TES)
Shanghai Invictus Gaming Meituan (IG)
KOREA – LCK
Gen.G (GEN)
Hanwha Life Esports (HLE)
T1 (T1)
Dplus Kia (DK)
EMEA – LEC
G2 Esports (G2)
Movistar KOI (MKOI)
Karmine Corp (KC)
NORTH AMERICA - LCS
Team Liquid Alienware (TLAW)
LYON (LYON)
Cloud9 Kia (C9)
ASIA PACIFIC – LCP
Team Secret Whales (TSW)
CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO)
MVK Esports (MVK)
BRAZIL - CBLOL
LOS (LOS)
FURIA (FUR)
PLAY-IN STAGE DRAW - AFTER CBLOL FINALS, OCTOBER 10
The Play-In Stage will be a four team, best-of-five, double elimination bracket with matchups determined by a fully random draw - any team can play any other team. The draw will take place following the conclusion of the CBLOL Finals on October 10. Teams participating in the Play-Ins are <CBLOL2>, KC, C9, and MVK.
INITIAL SWISS STAGE DRAW - October 18
The Swiss Stage is a five-round competition where teams will compete to earn at least three match wins to advance to the Knockout Stage. Teams that accumulate three match losses will be eliminated from the competition.
Matchups for Round 1 will be determined by a random draw following the conclusion of the Play-In Stage on October 18. For the purposes of Round 1, teams have been split into four draw tiers:
Teams from Tier 1 will face teams from Tier 4, while teams from Tier 2 will face teams from Tier 3. Teams from the same region will not be matched against each other in Round 1.
SWISS STAGE ROUND DRAWS - October 23, October 24, October 26, October 30
For Rounds 2 through 5, teams will be paired against random opponents with the same record as them (i.e. 1-0 teams will match against other 1-0 teams). Teams will not be re-matched against a repeat opponent during the Swiss Stage, but same-region matchups are permitted starting with Round 2.
QUARTERFINALS DRAW - October 31
Following the conclusion of the Swiss Stage, the remaining teams will participate in the Quarterfinals Draw. This draw will randomly pair the two teams with (3-0) Swiss Stage records against two of the teams with (3-2) Swiss Stage records. The remaining four teams will then be randomly drawn into two more matches against one another.
WORLDS FAN FEST - PIER 36
We’re taking the Worlds celebration beyond the arena with Worlds Fan Fest at Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan, running November 12–14. Across three days, fans can come together to celebrate League and LoL Esports through interactive experiences and activations from Riot and our partners, with plenty of ways to play, explore, and connect with the broader League community.
The Fan Fest main stage will also feature developer panels, special guests, community programming, and more throughout the weekend, building toward the Worlds Final.
More information about Worlds Fan Fest will be shared soon!
Mark your calendars, Pick’Ems and Crystal Ball are returning for Worlds 2026 with familiar ways to play and all brand new rewards! Make your picks at lolesports.com/pickems or directly in the League of Legends client.
Key Dates:
Worlds 2026 Pick'Ems is available to play in all regions except for Cuba, North Korea, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Myanmar, where League of Legends is published by a local publisher (e.g., China); or any other region where this offer is void; and requires a valid Riot Account and a Summoner Name to play and receive rewards. Please note that eligibility for prizes and rewards may vary in different regions due to local regulations. Scoring for Crystal Ball predictions takes place after Worlds concludes and all performance-based Tier rewards will be delivered on or around November 14. If you believe you qualified for a Pick’Ems reward and did not receive credit for it by November 21, please contact Player Support.
Worlds 2026 is bringing the celebration to the Rift with a new lineup of in-game offerings for fans to collect throughout the tournament. This year’s featured skin is True Damage Know My Name Yasuo, giving one of League’s most iconic champions a Worlds-ready look. Alongside the skin, there will be individual standard chromas as well as border set and chroma bundles. An exclusive Worlds chroma will also be available via purchases of Worlds Unlocked. The celebrations don’t stop there! The Season 3: Worlds 2026 Pass will give fans another way to engage with the tournament in-game, featuring a Prestige Chroma and Prestige Emote, with premium options offering additional Mythic Essence and Battle Pass Levels.
Once again, fans can represent their favorite teams and regions with the return of LoL Esports team icons and regional emotes representing the LPL, LEC, LCK, LCS, LCP, and CBLOL. Worlds 2026 will also continue to honor championship history with Elite Worlds Winner Chromas for the 2013 SKT T1 K championship skins.
Sales of the True Damage Yasuo skin and skin bundles, Season 3 Act II: Worlds Battle Pass, Elite Worlds Winners Chromas, team icons, and regional emotes will all help to support the competitive ecosystem, with Riot sharing a portion of proceeds with Tier-1 LoL Esports teams.
Finally, the International Tournament Skin Promotion will once again give fans the opportunity to pick up skins used by the winning team during the Worlds Finals at a major discount. Fans can pick up individual eligible skins at 33% off.
Please note: Prestige, Ultimate, Mythic Variant, Exalted, and Transcendent skins are not included in this promotion. If one of these is used during the Finals, it will be replaced with a comparable eligible skin.
Twitch Subs are back for Worlds! All Twitch subscribers to the LoL Esports channels enjoy benefits like custom chat emotes, badges, and ad-free viewing. Riot will allocate a portion of the proceeds to the Global Revenue Pool, which directly supports leagues and teams in the LoL Esports ecosystem.
*Participating LoL Esports Channels:
Bring the Worlds celebration to Wild Rift with the Worlds Volibear skin, featuring a first of its kind DIY customization system that lets you mix and match parts to build a look that's entirely your own. Grab the pass to unlock Worlds themed rewards and goodies. Be sure to log in to Wild Rift during Worlds to join the celebration in-game.
For the fourth year in a row, Riot is teaming up with education nonprofit DonorsChoose to support teachers in California, Texas, and New York. During each stage of Worlds, we will fund gaming, game development, and esports-related classroom projects on DonorsChoose in each host state. With the help of players, Riot has funded 1,600+ classroom projects to date through its partnership with DonorsChoose, supporting nearly 1,000 teachers across 49+ states and reaching over 110,000 students.
We’re stepping up this year’s merch collection like never before with apparel and products that capture the energy and excitement of Worlds26. From the fourth edition of Worlds Unlocked presented by OperaGX, a special Worlds-themed keepsake from our friends at Riftbound, and next level collabs and pieces bringing that quintessential New York City style to Worlds, there’s something for everyone. Stay tuned for more merch details dropping October 7.
