Riot Games Reveals Schedule, Format and Teams for Worlds 2026
The 2026 League of Legends World Championship will begin in Los Angeles on October 15 and conclude in Brooklyn on November 14.
Riot Games has revealed the full schedule, format and list of qualified teams for the 2026 League of Legends World Championship, which begins on October 15.
The tournament will feature 19 teams from six regional leagues playing across Los Angeles, Allen in Texas and Brooklyn in New York, with the final set for November 14.
The theme for this year's event is 'THIS IS OUR MOMENT'. Riot described it as "a shared moment a year in the making."
Worlds 2026 is split into three stages. The Play-In Stage runs from October 15 to 18 in Los Angeles, with every series a best-of-five. The Swiss Stage moves to Allen, Texas from October 23 to 31, featuring best-of-one and best-of-three series. The Knockout Stage, featuring best-of-five matches, begins in Allen on November 3 before the final moves to Brooklyn on November 14.
China and Korea have each sent four teams to the tournament. Brazil has two slots, with its second seed still to be determined by the CBLOL Finals on October 10. The other three leagues, LEC, LCS and LCP, have three teams apiece.
Four teams will start in the Play-In Stage: KC, C9, MVK and Brazil's second seed. The stage uses a double-elimination bracket, and the winner advances to the Swiss Stage. Matchups will be drawn at random after the CBLOL Finals.
The Swiss Stage features 16 teams. A team advances to the Knockout Stage with three match wins and is eliminated with three losses. Round 1 pairings will be drawn on October 18, with teams split into four tiers. Tier 1 teams will face Tier 4 teams, and Tier 2 teams will face Tier 3 teams, with same-region matchups prohibited in the opening round.
From Round 2 onwards, teams face random opponents with the same win-loss record. Same-region matchups are allowed after Round 1. The eight remaining teams will be drawn into the quarterfinals on October 31.
Riot's prediction game, Pick'Ems, is returning for Worlds 2026 alongside Crystal Ball, both with new rewards. Fans can make their picks at lolesports.com/pickems or in the League of Legends client.
The featured skin for the tournament is True Damage Know My Name Yasuo. Riot is also launching the Season 3: Worlds 2026 Pass, which includes a Prestige Chroma and a Prestige Emote.
Part of the revenue from the True Damage Yasuo skin and bundles, the Worlds pass, Elite Worlds Winner Chromas, team icons and regional emotes will be shared with tier-one LoL Esports teams.
The International Tournament Skin Promotion is also returning, offering a 33% discount on eligible skins used by the winning team in the final. Prestige, Ultimate, Mythic Variant, Exalted and Transcendent skins are not part of the promotion.
Riot will run Worlds Fan Fest at Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan from November 12 to 14. The event will include interactive experiences, developer panels, special guests and community programmes.
The Worlds 2026 merchandise collection will include the fourth edition of Worlds Unlocked and a Worlds-themed keepsake from Riot's trading card game, Riftbound. Collaborations and pieces inspired by New York City will be detailed on October 7.
Fans in North America and Europe can buy items through the Riot Games Merch Store, while fans in Korea can use Riot Store KR. In China, the range will be sold through Tmall, Douyin and JD.
Redington Cybersport reported in September that Invictus Gaming secured China's fourth and final Worlds 2026 berth by defeating JD Gaming in the LPL Regional Finals.
