The
League of Legends World Championship kicks off on
October 15th with the Play-In Stage arriving at the home of the
League of Legends Championship Series (
LCS):
Riot Games Arena Los Angeles. This marks the first time the grandest tournament in
League of Legends esports has come to North America in four years as nineteen teams battle to lift the prestigious Summoner’s Cup.
North America looks to defend its pride on home soil, return to the Knockout Stage after missing it in 2025, and forget the last time the region hosted Worlds.
, , and will represent NA and are tasked with building on the framework the latter started throughout the 2026 season. How far can hopes, dreams, and talent take you?
Team Liquid, Third time’s the charm?
Following their triumphant series win at the 2026 LCS Summer Split Grand Finals, Team Liquid holds North America’s #1 seed heading into the World Championship held at home. This isn’t the team’s first rodeo as the first seed at Worlds, but the burden couldn’t be heavier, as expectations for the region are through the roof.
However, the team’s track record when holding the first seed at Worlds tells a discouraging story. TL went into both the 2018 and 2019 Worlds editions as the first seed but failed to escape the Group Stage, finishing 3-3 both times. TL has played Group tiebreakers and the final day of the Swiss stage, but they’ve never once reached the Knockout Stage.
As improbable as their recent title was, Team Liquid has rallied around one motto: “
We’re due.” The sixth championship on TL’s cabinet was the first for most of the players: the first championship for Lim “
" Hyeon-seung; Brandon Joel “
" Villegas became the first Latin American to lift the LCS; and Sean “
" Sung’s first championship in an arena.
The third time could prove to be the opportunity Team Liquid needs to break this curse. The home crowd could be the support TL needs to finally beat an LCK or LPL team at an international event. Everything could come down to the same phrase: We are due.
LYON, Perform or Implode?
At the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational, LYON came one game short of reaching the final. The fans expected the team to continue its rampage at the 2026 Summer Split, even after the announcement that Kacper “
" Słoma would take a four-week break as the regular season started. Even after the Polish returned, the team went back on track.
Kim “
" Min-cheol was
named the Most Valuable Player, and four out of five players were
named to the All-Pro teams. LYON hadn’t qualified for Worlds and hoped to ride the Losers bracket, but expectations for Worlds were sky-high. However, this train full of optimism derailed at the Grand Finals, where the team failed to win its highly desired threepeat.
Were cracks starting to show inside the team? Inspired’s track record is clear: he demands near-perfection from his teammates, but results speak for themselves. Every team the Polish jungler commands has at least played for a chance at the Knockouts since the Swiss Stage was introduced. This time, not only does NA rally behind him, but Latin America too.
For the first time in the Mexican organization’s history, it will feature at Worlds’ Main Stage. Players like Inspired and Niship “
" Doshi know what’s needed to reach the Knockouts. Whatever happens, LYON will finish its season with its best-ever Worlds performance. Can the players rally one last push to reach the unthinkable?
Cloud9, a comfortable start
As historic as Cloud9 is for the LCS, the last three years have brought trials and tribulations. The longest-tenured LCS team hasn’t won a championship since 2023 Spring and had a terrible streak in Worlds qualifying series until the team upset LYON in the 2026 Summer Split Playoffs. This unexpected victory
meant the world to everyone who kept C9 pushing forward.
However, C9’s 2026 season followed a complicated, up-and-down path. Coaches stepped up and down, fan-favorite players were benched, and one player returned to the organization after nearly a year out. These decisions forged C9’s return to the grandest stage in
League of Legends, and it will bring two debutants: Park “
" Seung-gyu and Lee “
" Sang-min.
However, its defeat to LYON in the Losers Final rematch means that Cloud9’s return to Worlds as the third seed will start at the Play-In Stage, which could be a comfortable start. Three times have they started their journey through the Play-In stage, and all three times the North Americans have reached the Main Stage and the Knockouts.
The last time an NA team played the Knockouts stage at Worlds at home was ten years ago. Coincidentally, it was behind C9. It’s NA’s number three against the third seed from the LEC and LCP, and the second seed from CBLoL. If it can channel its past glories, Cloud9 might just like these odds.
