The Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage starts Friday, October 23 in Allen, Texas, and Round 1 is drawn: T1 open against LOS, Gen.G get Invictus Gaming. Every matchup, start time, Pick'Ems deadline and ticket link is below, and the Summoner's Cup gets handed out in Brooklyn on November 14.
Frequently Asked Questions
Worlds 2026
Oct 15 to Nov 14, 2026The Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage starts Friday, October 23 in Allen, Texas, and Round 1 is drawn: T1 open against LOS, Gen.G get Invictus Gaming. Every matchup, start time, Pick'Ems deadline and ticket link is below, and the Summoner's Cup gets handed out in Brooklyn on November 14.
T1 have won three World Championships in a row, and they're walking into this one trying to make it four. Standing in the way: Hanwha Life, who beat Bilibili Gaming 3-2 to win MSI in July. Gen.G beat Hanwha Life in the LCK final. G2 swept Movistar KOI 3-0 to take the LEC. Their mid laner, Caps, went into the Hall of Legends in August. Karmine Corp won the Play-In, so sixteen teams now fight through a Texas arena for eight knockout spots, and on a Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn somebody lifts the cup. It's the first time a Worlds Final has gone to the East Coast, and the Barclays crowd is going to be loud.
The Basics
When is Worlds 2026?
Worlds 2026 runs from October 15 to November 14, 2026. The Play-In Stage goes October 15 to 18, the Swiss Stage runs October 23 to 26 and then October 28 to 31, the quarterfinals are November 3 to 6, the semifinals are November 7 and 8, and the Grand Final is Saturday, November 14.
- Oct 15 to 18Play-InLos Angeles
- Oct 23 to 31Swiss StageAllen, Texas
- Nov 3 to 6QuarterfinalsAllen, Texas
- Nov 7 and 8SemifinalsAllen, Texas
- Nov 14Grand FinalBrooklyn, New York
Where is Worlds 2026 being held?
Three venues, all in the US. The Play-In Stage is at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles. The Swiss Stage, quarterfinals and semifinals all happen at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, just north of Dallas. The Final is at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Where is the Worlds 2026 Final?
Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday, November 14, with the broadcast starting at 2 PM EST.
What time do Worlds 2026 matches start?
Riot updated the broadcast start times on September 22, so any schedule you saw before then is out of date for the Swiss Stage and knockouts. Daylight saving ends in Europe on October 25 and in the US on November 1, which is why the European column shifts partway through the Swiss Stage.
| Stage | US Eastern | US Pacific | UK | Central Europe | Korea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-In, Oct 15 to 18 | 2 PM | 11 AM | 7 PM | 8 PM | 3 AM (next day) |
| Swiss, Oct 23 and 24 | 1 PM | 10 AM | 6 PM | 7 PM | 2 AM (next day) |
| Swiss, Oct 25 and 26 | 1 PM | 10 AM | 5 PM | 6 PM | 2 AM (next day) |
| Swiss, Oct 28 to 30 | 4 PM | 1 PM | 8 PM | 9 PM | 5 AM (next day) |
| Swiss, Oct 31 | 1 PM | 10 AM | 5 PM | 6 PM | 2 AM (next day) |
| Quarterfinals and Semifinals, Nov 3 to 8 | 5 PM | 2 PM | 10 PM | 11 PM | 7 AM (next day) |
| Grand Final, Nov 14 | 2 PM | 11 AM | 7 PM | 8 PM | 4 AM (Nov 15) |
Times are broadcast start times from LoL Esports' Worlds 2026 venue and event update.
What time is Worlds 2026 in my time zone?
Pick a time zone and every broadcast day switches to that clock, daylight saving included. It opens on whatever zone your phone or computer is set to.
- Turn on JavaScript to see the converted times, or use the table above.
Converted from the broadcast start times in the same LoL Esports update.
Teams and Format
What's the Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage Round 1 draw?
Round 1 is Friday, October 23: eight best-of-one games back to back, starting at 1 PM Eastern (10 AM Pacific). Riot drew it on October 18 right after the Play-In final. Tier 1 seeds drew Tier 4 teams, Tier 2 drew Tier 3, and no two teams from the same region could meet.
| Match | Regions | US Eastern | US Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen.G vs Invictus Gaming | LCK vs LPL | 1 PM | 10 AM |
| Team Liquid Alienware vs CTBC Flying Oyster | LCS vs LCP | 2 PM | 11 AM |
| Anyone's Legend vs Karmine Corp | LPL vs LEC | 3 PM | 12 PM |
| G2 Esports vs Dplus KIA | LEC vs LCK | 4 PM | 1 PM |
| Hanwha Life Esports vs Top Esports | LCK vs LPL | 5 PM | 2 PM |
| LOS vs T1 | CBLOL vs LCK | 6 PM | 3 PM |
| Team Secret Whales vs LYON | LCP vs LCS | 7 PM | 4 PM |
| Bilibili Gaming vs Movistar KOI | LPL vs LEC | 8 PM | 5 PM |
Matchups and start times from the official Worlds 2026 tournament page. Draw tiers from LoL Esports' Worlds 2026 primer.
Who made it out of the Play-In?
Karmine Corp. They won all three of their series: 3-2 over Cloud9 Kia, then 3-0 over MVK Esports twice, the second time in the final on October 18. Cloud9 Kia went out first, beaten 3-1 by FURIA in the lower bracket, and MVK put FURIA out 3-1 the next day. Karmine's reward is Anyone's Legend in Round 1.
Who has qualified for Worlds 2026?
Nineteen teams qualified, and sixteen are still alive after the Play-In. The LPL is sending the exact same four teams it sent to Worlds 2025.
LCK
Korea- Gen.GLCK champions
- Hanwha Life EsportsMSI 2026 champions
- T1Three-time defending world champions
- Dplus KIA
LPL
China- Anyone's Legend
- Bilibili Gaming
- Top Esports
- Invictus Gaming
LEC
EMEA- G2 Esports
- Movistar KOI
- Karmine CorpPlay-In winner
LCP
Asia-Pacific- Team Secret Whales
- CTBC Flying Oyster
- MVK EsportsOut in the Play-In
LCS
North America- Team Liquid AlienwareLCS champions
- LYON
- Cloud9 KiaOut in the Play-In
CBLOL
Brazil- LOSCBLOL champions
- FURIAOut in the Play-In
Who took the last three spots?
LYON took North America's third spot by beating Shopify Rebellion 3-1 in the LCS playoffs, then beat Cloud9 3-1 in the lower bracket final before losing the final 3-1 to Team Liquid on October 4. In Brazil, LOS beat FURIA 3-2 in the CBLOL final on October 10, which took the top seed straight to the Swiss Stage and sent FURIA to the Play-In.
"The Fight for the Final Worlds Spots," LoL Esports' own upload, September 24, 2026.
How many teams play at Worlds 2026?
Nineteen. The LCK and LPL each get four spots (they were the top two regions at MSI), the LEC, LCS and LCP get three each, and CBLOL gets two after Riot added a second Brazilian slot in March.
How does the Worlds 2026 format work?
1. Play-In
Four teams started in the Play-In Stage, a double-elimination bracket of best-of-five series. Karmine Corp was the only one to get out and join the Swiss Stage.
2. Swiss Stage
The Swiss Stage has sixteen teams. Teams with the same record play each other each round, three wins sends you to the knockouts and three losses sends you home. Any series that can advance or eliminate a team is best-of-three, and the rest are single games.
3. Knockouts
Eight teams survive into a single-elimination bracket of best-of-five series: quarterfinals, semifinals, then the Final in Brooklyn.
Riot says the format mirrors Worlds 2025 apart from the Play-In and the regional seeding. Rounds 2 to 5 are drawn on October 23, 24, 26 and 30 from teams on the same record, with no rematches, and teams from one region can meet from Round 2 on. The quarterfinal draw is October 31, and it puts both 3-0 teams against 3-2 teams.
Who won Worlds last year?
T1 beat kt Rolster 3-2 in the Worlds 2025 Final, their third straight world title. For the long view, we ranked the picks that shaped past tournaments in Top 10 Champions That Defined Worlds.
Tickets and Going in Person
How do I buy Worlds 2026 tickets?
Start at lolesports.com/tickets, Riot's own ticket hub. Riot sells Worlds 2026 tickets through Ticketmaster. The Fan First presale, for fans who registered with their Riot ID in June, opened July 22, and general sale opened July 24 at 8 AM PDT. The Swiss Stage, knockout days and Final are all listed on Ticketmaster's League of Legends page, and Ticketmaster's Worlds 2026 help page lists every ticketed date by venue.
Riot's full rundown of how the sale worked is in its Worlds 2026 Ticket Sales post.
Are resale Worlds tickets safe?
Riot's official seller is Ticketmaster, and every Worlds 2026 date uses mobile entry, where your phone is your ticket through the Ticketmaster app. A PDF or a screenshot from a stranger won't get you through the door.
If you buy on the secondary market, you're buying from another fan or a broker, not from Riot.
What can I bring to the Texas venue?
Small bags under 4.5 x 8.5 inches, or clear bags under 14 x 14 x 6 inches. You can leave and come back with a wristband during the Swiss Stage (October 23 to 31), but there's no re-entry on quarterfinal and semifinal days. Guests under 14 need an adult aged 19 or older with them.
What can I bring to Barclays Center for the Final?
Nothing bigger than 10 x 6 x 2 inches, and nothing hard-sided. There's no re-entry at all on Final day, and Barclays has nowhere to check bags or coats. Kids under 13 need an adult with them.
Cosplay is welcome at both venues as long as your face stays visible and props are blunt, light and non-metallic. The full policies are in Riot's venue and event post.
Watching From Home
How can I watch Worlds 2026?
Every match streams free. Riot's official broadcast runs on lolesports.com, on Riot Games on Twitch and on the LoL Esports YouTube channel. Brackets and standings update on the official Worlds 2026 tournament page as results come in.
Is Worlds 2026 good for watch parties?
The Final starts at 2 PM on the East Coast and 11 AM on the West Coast, on a Saturday, which is a friendly slot for a watch party anywhere in the Americas. Europe gets it in the evening. Korea gets it at 4 AM on Sunday (hope the coffee's strong).
When do Worlds 2026 Pick'Ems lock?
Swiss Stage picks lock on Friday, October 23, right before Gen.G and Invictus Gaming open the Swiss Stage at 1 PM Eastern (10 AM Pacific). They opened on October 18. Knockout picks open October 31 and lock November 3 before the first quarterfinal. You can pick at lolesports.com/pickems or in the League client, and Riot aims to send rewards within 48 hours of the Final.
Dates from LoL Esports' Worlds 2026 primer.
Is Champions Queue back for Worlds 2026?
Yes. LoL Esports announced it on October 18: Champions Queue runs nightly from 8 to 11 PM Pacific through the Swiss Stage, with Worlds pros practicing against each other in a solo queue setting. Pros stream those games, so it's a free look at practice between broadcast days.
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