Karmine Corp Sweeps MVK Esports to Reach Worlds 2026 Main Stage
The French team will open the Swiss Stage against LPL champions Anyone's Legend in Allen, Texas on October 23.
Karmine Corp defeated MVK Esports 3-0 in Los Angeles on October 18 to claim the final Swiss Stage place at the 2026 League of Legends World Championship.
The French organization becomes Europe's third team in the main event and will open against LPL Split 3 champions Anyone's Legend in a best-of-one on October 23 in Allen, Texas.
Karmine Corp's run in the four-team Play-In bracket began with a tense 3-2 victory over Cloud9 on October 15. The team then beat MVK 3-0 on October 16, sending the Vietnamese squad to the lower bracket.
MVK fought back by eliminating FURIA 3-1 on October 17, setting up a decider rematch with Karmine Corp, which the French side swept to qualify. Mid laner kyeahoo was named MVP of the final series.
"The Play-In stage served as a kind of warm-up for the team," head coach Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu said.
He added that despite a difficult first series where the team played below its practice level, KC is currently a much stronger team than during the LEC playoffs.
Jungler Yike told Hotspawn after qualifying that he felt the team was playing at around 80% of its peak.
The Swiss Stage draw paired Pool 1 teams against Pool 4 and Pool 2 against Pool 3, with teams from the same region kept apart in the first round.
Karmine Corp, the LEC's third seed, drew LPL first seed Anyone's Legend. The teams met this summer at the Esports World Cup in Paris, where Karmine Corp won.
Reapered raised that result when discussing the draw, saying the teams know each other well from joint practice sessions and that the KC coaching staff feels no fear toward their opponent.
Yike also has other teams in mind. On the official broadcast after the draw, he said he wanted revenge on Bilibili Gaming, who knocked him out at his two previous Worlds, and named Team Liquid, who beat KC at MSI.
The Swiss Stage begins on October 23 with eight best-of-one matchups. The pairings are Gen.G versus Invictus Gaming, Team Liquid versus CTBC Flying Oyster, Anyone's Legend versus Karmine Corp, G2 Esports versus Dplus KIA, Hanwha Life Esports versus Top Esports, LOS versus T1, Team Secret Whales versus LYON, and Bilibili Gaming versus Movistar KOI.
Two opening-day contests will pit LCK teams against LPL representatives. Gen.G faces Invictus Gaming, reuniting mid laners Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon and Song "Rookie" Eui-jin for the first time since 2019.
Hanwha Life Esports meets Top Esports, having won both of their encounters in 2025. G2 Esports will take on Dplus KIA, who beat them at the Esports World Cup.
Reapered assessed the team's overall prospects with a "step by step" approach, with the primary goal being to make it through the Swiss Stage and reach the quarterfinals.
He did not rule out the possibility of a massive upset, recalling the historic success of the DRX team. The coach also thanked French fans for their support, promising the team will push to deliver the best results.
The tournament runs until November 14 with a total prize pool of $5,000,000. The Swiss Stage and knockouts take place at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center, with the Grand Final at Barclays Center.
