Dplus KIA, Gen.G First to Reach Worlds 2026 Knockout Stage
The LCK teams secured their spots with victories over Movistar KOI and LYON, while LPL teams Invictus Gaming and Top Esports improved to 2-1.
LCK teams Dplus KIA and Gen.G became the first two squads to advance to the Knockout Stage of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship on Day 3 of the Swiss Stage.
Dplus KIA soundly swept Movistar KOI to secure the first spot, outlasting their opponents in a 39-minute game one before routing them in 25 minutes in game two.
The South Korean squad secured the series sweep and their spot in the main event.
Gen.G then pulled off a 2-1 reverse sweep against LYON to become the second qualifier.
LYON stunned Gen.G in a 35-minute series opener, putting them in prime position to secure the biggest upset of the tournament so far and a spot in the Knockout Stage.
However, Gen.G quickly responded by winning game two in 26 minutes to force the series to a decider.
While LYON put up a worthy effort in game three, Gen.G simply could not be denied as they secured the 2-1 reverse sweep in 31 minutes and punched their tickets to the Knockout Stage.
With their spots in the main event secured, DK and Gen.G will have plenty of time to prepare before the Knockout Stage begins on 3 November.
Meanwhile, MKOI and LYON still have another shot at securing their spots in the Knockout Stage as they will next play in the Round 4 High Matches.
Earlier in the day, the LPL continued to rally from its winless opening day as Shanghai Invictus Gaming and Top Esports defeated Hanwha Life Esports and G2 Esports, respectively.
IG routed HLE in 28 minutes and TES took down G2 in 28 minutes of action.
As a result, IG and TES improved their Swiss Stage record to 2-1 and will enter Round 4 in position to secure a spot in the Knockout Stage.
Meanwhile, HLE and G2 drop to the 1-2 bracket in Round 4 and are now at risk of elimination.
With all four Chinese teams in Worlds 2026 failing to secure a single win in the opening day of the Swiss Stage, many expected IG and TES to face an uphill battle in Round 3.
Instead, the LPL teams secured comfortable wins.
Redington Cybersport reported in October that G2 Esports stumbled against Dplus KIA in the Swiss Stage opener.
Day 4 of the Swiss Stage will feature the two remaining Round 3 Mid Matches as well as the Round 3 Elimination Matches.
The Round 3 Elimination Matches will feature the four teams with 0-2 records, with the losers exiting Worlds 2026 in 15th-16th place, while the Round 3 Mid Matches will see the teams with 1-1 records vying for a better position for the succeeding rounds.
