- LoL Worlds 2026 runs from 15 October to 14 November, with the final at Barclays Center, Brooklyn.
- 19 teams: four each from the LCK and LPL, three each from the LEC, LCS and LCP, two from the CBLOL.
- T1 won Worlds 2025, their third title in a row, but Gen.G are the betting favourites for 2026.
- Swiss Rounds 1–2 are best-of-one: the most upset-prone part of the event.
LoL Worlds 2026 is the 16th League of Legends World Championship. It runs from 15 October to 14 November 2026 across three US cities, with 19 teams and a $5 million base prize pool.[1] T1 are the three-time defending champions, Gen.G are the favourites, and every series is on the odds board. This guide is part of our LoL betting hub.
LoL Worlds 2026 schedule
| Stage | Dates | Venue | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play-In | 15–18 October | Riot Games Arena, Los Angeles | 4 teams, double elimination, Bo5 |
| Swiss stage | 23–31 October | Credit Union of Texas Event Center, Allen, Texas | 16 teams, Bo1 (Rounds 1–2), Bo3 later |
| Quarter-finals | 3–6 November | Allen, Texas | Bo5 |
| Semi-finals | 7–8 November | Allen, Texas | Bo5 |
| Final | 14 November | Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York | Bo5 |
Play-In matches start at 11 AM PT (8 PM CEST). Most Swiss days start at 12 PM CT, and the final starts at 2 PM ET (8 PM CET).[2] Every match streams free — see where to watch LoL.
Who is playing at Worlds 2026?
| League | Teams | Starts in |
|---|---|---|
| LCK (South Korea) | Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports, T1, Dplus KIA | Swiss stage |
| LPL (China) | Anyone's Legend, Bilibili Gaming, Top Esports, Invictus Gaming | Swiss stage |
| LEC (EMEA) | G2 Esports, Movistar KOI | Swiss stage |
| LEC (EMEA) | Karmine Corp | Play-In (qualified for Swiss) |
| LCS (North America) | Team Liquid Alienware, LYON | Swiss stage |
| LCS (North America) | Cloud9 KIA | Play-In (eliminated) |
| LCP (Asia-Pacific) | Team Secret Whales, CTBC Flying Oyster | Swiss stage |
| LCP (Asia-Pacific) | MVK Esports | Play-In (eliminated) |
| CBLOL (Brazil) | Los Grandes | Swiss stage |
| CBLOL (Brazil) | FURIA | Play-In (eliminated) |
The LCK and LPL get a fourth team each: one for Hanwha Life's MSI win, one for the region with the second-best MSI result.[1] How each team qualified is in our LoL events calendar.
Play-In result: Karmine Corp beat Cloud9 KIA 3–2 and then swept MVK Esports 3–0 in the Play-In final to take the last Swiss-stage spot. FURIA eliminated Cloud9 3–1.
Swiss Round 1 (all best-of-one, 23 October): Gen.G vs Invictus Gaming, Team Liquid vs CTBC Flying Oyster, Anyone's Legend vs Karmine Corp, G2 Esports vs Dplus KIA, Hanwha Life Esports vs Top Esports, Los Grandes vs T1, Team Secret Whales vs LYON, and Bilibili Gaming vs Movistar KOI.
How the Worlds 2026 format works
- Play-In: four teams in a double-elimination bracket, all best-of-five. Only the winner goes through.
- Swiss stage: 16 teams. Teams with the same record play each other each round; three wins qualify for the quarter-finals, three losses knock you out. Rounds 1 and 2 are best-of-one, later rounds best-of-three. Teams from the same league can't meet in Round 1, and no two teams meet twice.
- Draw pools for Round 1: Pool 1 (Gen.G, Anyone's Legend, Team Liquid, G2) plays Pool 4 (CTBC Flying Oyster, Invictus Gaming, Dplus KIA, Play-In winner); Pool 2 (Team Secret Whales, Los Grandes, Hanwha Life, Bilibili) plays Pool 3 (LYON, Movistar KOI, T1, Top Esports). The draw was held on 18 October.[2]
- Knockouts: eight teams, single elimination, best-of-five. The two 3–0 teams each face a 3–2 team in the quarter-finals.
- Fearless Draft is expected in every Bo3 and Bo5: a team can't reuse a champion it already played in that series.
What the format means for betting: best-of-one Swiss games are where favourites lose. Prices of 1.20–1.30 on a big favourite in a Bo1 often don't reflect the real upset risk. In the Bo5 knockouts, the stronger team wins far more often, and map handicaps (−1.5) become the more interesting market. See map handicaps and series betting.
Matches to watch at Worlds 2026
These are the matchups the market is watching:
- Gen.G vs T1: the LCK rivalry. Gen.G won the 2026 LCK title; T1 are chasing a fourth straight world title. They can't meet in Round 1, but can from Round 2. Expect T1 to be priced shorter than their form suggests, because the market loves Faker at Worlds.
- Hanwha Life vs Bilibili Gaming: a rematch of the MSI 2026 final, which HLE won 3–2. BLG also won First Stand, so they're the strongest LPL team on international results.
- G2 Esports vs the LPL: G2 won every LEC title in 2026 but lost the First Stand final 3–1 to BLG. G2 vs an LPL team is the best test of whether Europe can contend.
- Karmine Corp in their first Worlds: KC reached the Esports World Cup final in July (losing 3–0 to Dplus KIA). They came through the Play-In and open the Swiss stage against Anyone's Legend, which could make them a value pick in Bo1 games.
- Anyone's Legend: the 2026 LPL champions, often priced below the LCK favourites. Watch their early Swiss games for a read on the LPL's form.
LoL Worlds betting odds
Gen.G lead every outright market. A snapshot from mid-October 2026:[4][5]
| Team | bet365 (US odds) | Decimal | Polymarket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen.G | +200 | 3.00 | 31% |
| Hanwha Life Esports | +350 | 4.50 | 19% |
| T1 | +350 | 4.50 | 17% |
| Bilibili Gaming | +400 | 5.00 | 19% |
| Anyone's Legend | +900 | 10.00 | around 8% |
Odds move every day; check the current prices before you bet. To compare a bookmaker price with a prediction-market percentage, convert one into the other with our odds converter: 3.00 is a 33.3% implied chance.
For our full take on the outright market, value picks and the teams to avoid, read the Worlds 2026 odds preview.
LoL Worlds betting sites
You can bet on Worlds at almost every bookmaker with an esports section. The best LoL Worlds betting sites combine outright markets, every Swiss and knockout series, map and kill props, and live betting:
- bet365: the deepest in-play markets and streams for funded accounts where rights allow.
- Betway: a long-running esports book with fair prices on LoL.
- Polymarket: exchange-style outright and match markets, where it's legal.
The full comparison, with bonuses, is in our list of the best LoL betting sites. New to betting on League of Legends? Start with how to bet on LoL.
Who won LoL Worlds 2025?
T1 won Worlds 2025, beating KT Rolster 3–2 in the final in Chengdu, China. It was T1's third straight title (2023, 2024, 2025) and their sixth overall, and Faker's sixth world title. Gumayusi was named finals MVP.[3]
LoL Worlds winners by year
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Final venue | Finals MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | T1 | 3–2 | KT Rolster | Chengdu, China | Gumayusi |
| 2024 | T1 | 3–2 | Bilibili Gaming | London, UK | Faker |
| 2023 | T1 | 3–0 | Weibo Gaming | Seoul, South Korea | Zeus |
| 2022 | DRX | 3–2 | T1 | San Francisco, US | Kingen |
| 2021 | Edward Gaming | 3–2 | DWG KIA | Reykjavík, Iceland | Scout |
| 2020 | DAMWON Gaming | 3–1 | Suning | Shanghai, China | Canyon |
| 2019 | FunPlus Phoenix | 3–0 | G2 Esports | Paris, France | Tian |
| 2018 | Invictus Gaming | 3–0 | Fnatic | Incheon, South Korea | Ning |
| 2017 | Samsung Galaxy | 3–0 | SK Telecom T1 | Beijing, China | Ruler |
| 2016 | SK Telecom T1 | 3–2 | Samsung Galaxy | Los Angeles, US | Faker |
| 2015 | SK Telecom T1 | 3–1 | KOO Tigers | Berlin, Germany | MaRin |
| 2014 | Samsung White | 3–1 | Star Horn Royal Club | Seoul, South Korea | Mata |
| 2013 | SK Telecom T1 | 3–0 | Royal Club | Los Angeles, US | — |
| 2012 | Taipei Assassins | 3–1 | Azubu Frost | Los Angeles, US | — |
| 2011 | Fnatic | 2–1 | against All authority | Jönköping, Sweden | — |
Most titles: T1 (including SK Telecom T1) have 6, Gen.G (as Samsung) 2. By region, the LCK has 10 titles, the LPL 3, Europe 1 (Fnatic, 2011) and Taiwan 1 (Taipei Assassins, 2012).[3]
How much do the champions win? The 2026 pool is $5 million with $1 million for first place. See the full LoL Worlds prize pool breakdown by placement and year.
Worlds 2026 song and theme
The Worlds 2026 anthem is "Know My Name" by True Damage (Coco Jones, Sofía Reyes, Soyeon and Vic Mensa), with a music video built around Faker's career. The slogan is "This Is Our Moment."[1] We've ranked every anthem since "Warriors" in 2014 in our LoL Worlds songs list.
Worlds betting tips
- Treat Bo1 favourites carefully. Swiss Rounds 1–2 produce the most upsets of the event.
- Check the patch. Worlds is played on one patch; teams that rely on champions nerfed just before it can struggle. See LoL drafts and patches.
- Cross-region games are mispriced most often. Bookmakers have less head-to-head data between the LCK, LPL and LEC.
- Bet the outright early or wait. Outright prices move most after the Swiss draw and after each round.
- Set a budget for the month. Worlds has matches almost every day — keep it fun.
More LoL betting tips are on our LoL betting page.
FAQ: lol worlds 2026
When is LoL Worlds 2026?
From 15 October to 14 November 2026. Play-In 15–18 October (Los Angeles), Swiss stage 23–31 October and knockouts 3–8 November (Allen, Texas), final 14 November (Brooklyn, New York).
Who won LoL Worlds 2025?
T1. They beat KT Rolster 3–2 in the final in Chengdu, China, for their third straight title and sixth overall. Gumayusi was finals MVP.
Who are the defending Worlds champions?
T1. They beat KT Rolster 3–2 in Chengdu to win Worlds 2025, their third title in a row and sixth overall, and they start Worlds 2026 in the Swiss stage.
Who is the favourite for Worlds 2026?
Gen.G, the 2026 LCK champions. In mid-October bookmakers had them around 3.00 (+200), ahead of Hanwha Life Esports, T1 and Bilibili Gaming.
Where is the Worlds 2026 final?
At Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday 14 November 2026 at 2 PM ET.
How many teams are at Worlds 2026?
19. Four start in the Play-In and one of them joins the other 15 in the 16-team Swiss stage.
What is the Worlds 2026 song?
"Know My Name" by True Damage. See every anthem since 2014 in our LoL Worlds songs list.
Where can I bet on LoL Worlds?
At licensed bookmakers with good esports coverage, such as bet365 and Betway, or on prediction markets like Polymarket where they're legal. See the best LoL Worlds betting sites below.
Sources
- 2026 League of Legends World Championship — Wikipedia ↩
- Worlds 2026 cheat sheet: schedule, teams, format and Pick'Ems — Inven Global ↩
- League of Legends World Championship (all editions) — Wikipedia ↩
- LoL Worlds 2026 guide: schedule, teams and betting odds — bet365 News ↩
- League of Legends Worlds 2026 odds and predictions — Polymarket ↩