The Worlds 2026 Play-in draw show took place after the conclusion of the CBLOL 2026 Split 2 grand finals, where
emerged victorious over
in a close 3-2 series. The Play-in stage will feature
, FURIA, and
.
Worlds 2026 Play-in is set to begin on October 15th and conclude on October 18th. Only one team can advance to the Swiss Stage, where 15 more teams await them. The winner of the Play-in stage will play against
,
,
, or
in their first Swiss Stage match.
Western fans couldn’t have asked for a better draw in terms of pure entertainment value. A classic NA vs. EU best-of-five series in the opening round should pave the path for some fiery trashtalk. Cloud9’s recent uptick in form colliding with Karmine Corp’s torrid end to the Summer Split makes this match quite unpredictable. The clash of former LCK and LCK CL talents in the solo lanes should be a fun storyline to follow as well.
The other matchup, FURIA vs. MVK Esports, shouldn’t be counted out, as both teams have incredibly fun playstyles. Brazil and Vietnam have leveled up majorly over the past few years, and this will be a good opportunity for the former wildcard regions to battle it out and see who the very best is.
