Following
last year’s explosive Worlds Play-In, which pitted South Korea’s
against China’s
in a single best-of-five match, the 2026
League of Legends World Championship will once again adapt its Play-In formula, this time returning closer to the philosophy of the
2024 Worlds edition.
The 2026 Worlds Play-In participants. Credit: Sheep Esports
In this new format, no LCK or LPL team will appear, as all of the teams from these regions are directly qualified for the event. Instead, teams from the
LEC,
LCP,
LCS, and
CBLOL will brawl to secure the last spot in the tournament, according to the
2026 World Championship Event Specific Ruleset released on August 31st.
With only four teams participating, the challengers in the Play-In will play in a straightforward double-elimination bracket, with all series played as best-of-five, and only one team advancing to the Main Stage:
- LCS 3rd Seed ()
- LEC 3rd Seed ()
- CBLOL 2nd Seed
- LCP 3rd Seed ()
As is tradition each year, the draw will occur right after the
last participating region concludes its finals. In this case, that will be the CBLOL, which will decide its participant on
October 10 at 13:00 BRT, or
18:00 CEST and
09:00 PST.
Worlds 2026 Play-In Bracket. Credit: Sheep Esports
Asia Pacific’s representative: MVK Esports
The first team that secured its place in the Play-Ins so far comes from the LCP. MVK Esports’s current level ramped up during the LCP’s Split 3 after a somewhat disappointing start to their season. The Vikings finished third in the regular season, which set up a match against
in Round 1 of the playoffs. After MVK was knocked to the Loser’s Bracket by the Taiwanese, the partnered Vietnamese team awaited them:
. In a close 3-2 series, the Vikings prevailed against their rivals and secured at least a berth in the Play-In stage.
This victory set up a rematch against the Flying Oysters for a chance at direct qualification at Worlds, and a shot at the LCP Championship. Unfortunately for the Vikings, the story repeated itself, and they lost 1-3 to CFO. This is the team that lined up against CFO and will most likely represent the organization at Worlds Play-Ins:
- Toplane: Ngô “" Đức Khánh
- Jungle: Lương “" Hải Long
- Midlane: Võ “" Lê Nhân
- AD Carry: Nguyễn “" Văn Hữu
- Support: Nguyễn “" Hoàng Lam
- Head Coach: Lê Quang “" Duy
EMEA’s representative: Karmine Corp
The French organization became the second team to lock a berth at the new Play-Ins. The Blue Wall topped the Summer Split Regular season by boasting an undefeated record and won the Worlds qualifying series against
. However, they couldn’t ride the momentum and floundered in the Winner’s Finals against
. This set up a Loser’s Finals match for all the marbles against bitter rivals
.
Unfortunately, at home, with their fervent fans, and after crowning homegrown superstar Caliste as the LEC Summer Split Regular Season MVP, KC couldn’t deliver on the day. This is the organization’s last lineup during the 2026 LEC Summer Playoffs that will likely represent them at Worlds Play-Ins:
- Toplane: Kim “" Chang-dong
- Jungle: Martin “" Sundelin
- Midlane: Kang “" Ye-hoo
- AD Carry: Caliste “" Henry-Hennebert
- Support: Alan “" Cwalina
- Head Coach: Bok “Reapered" Han-gyu
NA’s representative: Cloud9
They are finally back on the world stage. The American organization became
the third team to be locked into the Play-In on October 3rd. Their fate was sealed after
took them down 3-1 in the LCS Semifinals in
Atlanta, Georgia, effectively getting revenge after Cloud9 had previously eliminated them in the second round of the playoffs.
Overall, this split for Cloud9 was filled with twists and turns. The most notable development of their season was
the changes made earlier in the split. After finishing third in Spring, the squad deemed it necessary to change its midlane and AD Carry positions, as well as make sweeping changes to its coaching staff.
Unfortunately, even with those changes, things ended up much the same for the squad, which ultimately repeated its third-place finish from last split and once again locked in a spot in the Play-In.
Nevertheless, this finish is not indicative of the team's strength. Cloud9 has rapidly improved and made great strides in recent weeks, making them, on paper, a formidable opponent and a strong contender to upset and take down Karmine Corp—the other favorite to qualify. Though things could change, Cloud9 is expected to field the same roster as in the 2026 LCS Summer Playoffs:
- Toplane: Park "" Seung-gyu
- Jungle: Robert "" Huang
- Midlane: Lee "" Sang-min
- AD Carry: Edward "" Ra
- Support: Philippe "" Laflamme
- Head Coach: Christian "IWDominate" Rivera
CBLOL’s representative: Furia
Furia was the last team to lock its
Worlds seed following an intense five-game series against
on
October 10th. Furia couldn’t avenge the opponent that sent them to the Losers Bracket on the grandest stage of the Brazilian League in
Rio de Janeiro. Curiously, this loss meant that the ferocious team finished a split in first, second, and third place.
Though the loss prevented them from directly qualifying for Worlds Main Stage, Furia will carry the responsibility of representing
CBLOL as the region’s first-ever second seed. Furia has crossed paths with the LEC representative at the Mid-Season Invitational and EWC, though they didn’t play an official match. A team they have defeated this season is C9, whom they continuously pummeled at the inaugural America’s Cup. This is the roster Furia rode throughout CBLOL’s Split 2 Playoffs, and is expected to play at Worlds:
- Toplane: Guilherme "" Araújo Ruiz
- Jungle: Pedro "" Seixas
- Midlane: Arthur "" Peichoto Machado
- AD Carry: Andrey "" Saraiva
- Support: Gabriel "" Dzelme
- Head Coach: Erick "furyz" Susin
