Esports World Cup 2026 LoL Power Rankings

The 2026 Esports World Cup will bring together 16 of the best teams in the world from July 15 to 19 in Paris. Originally scheduled to take place in Riyadh, the event was relocated to France because of the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East. It is a tournament with a very specific feel: short, intense, and coming just days after MSI in South Korea. That makes for one of the most demanding League of Legends schedules in history, and it could well have an impact on the competitive balance.

In a fast and unforgiving format made up almost entirely of best-of-ones and best-of-threes, 16 teams will battle to replace Gen.G, last year’s champions. They will do so on the same 26.13 patch as MSI, making this event a direct continuation of the second biggest international event of the year.

We are only just coming out of MSI, which makes their place in this ranking feel almost inevitable. After a dramatic win over Bilibili Gaming, who pushed them to their limits as well, they now look like the team that has shown the best level of League of Legends this year. Backed by what can reasonably be described as some of the best laners in the world, they arrive at this event with a renewed sense of aura. The only real question mark is fatigue in a schedule that has never been more demanding. Still in Daejeon, South Korea, last Sunday, they have barely made it to Paris in time to begin their campaign on Wednesday.

Perfectly positioned to win MSI and keep their Golden Road hopes alive, faltered at the final hurdle, falling to HLE in the grand final after leading the series 2–1. BLG entered MSI as our tournament favorite and, despite that defeat, quite naturally remain within touching distance of the top spot following the year's second international event. The reigning LPL champions arrive in Paris in excellent form, aiming to secure a second international title during this mid-season stretch between regional leagues. Above all, BLG stand by far as China's strongest representative and the LPL's clearest hope of lifting its first title at the tournament.

Although they arrive as the defending champions, failed to qualify for MSI and are no longer the dominant force they were a year ago, as evidenced by their first absence from the tournament since 2022. Uncharacteristically inconsistent throughout several stages of the season, Gen.G are still searching for stability, while long-time cornerstones and have not consistently reached the level that once defined them. Even so, they remain one of the strongest teams in the world, having challenged for the top of the LCK standings on multiple occasions this year, and could benefit from the fatigue of the favourites returning from MSI.

For the first time in the organization's history, failed to reach the top four of an MSI they attended. Eliminated 3-1 by G2 Esports, the three-time reigning World champions exposed several weaknesses, particularly in the solo lanes, which were repeatedly targeted and exploited throughout the tournament. Despite those shortcomings, T1 still possess what is arguably the strongest botlane in the world, with back to his best and continuing to perform at an exceptional level. As the inaugural Esports World Cup champions, T1 can never truly be counted out until their Nexus falls.

North American champions and backed by one of the strongest mid-jungle duos in the tournament, they also arrive off one of the most successful MSI runs in the region’s history. Their place in the top three was built in part on the strength of a very reliable botlane, and on their ability to pick teams off one by one throughout the bracket. But there is one glaring detail: they never managed to beat a team from either the LPL or the LCK. That same pattern also held at First Stand 2026, and at the moment, they have accumulated defeats to Gen.G, JD Gaming, Bilibili Gaming, and Hanwha Life Esports which underlines the gap still remaining.

Last year's runners-up, (competing under the name AG.AL) return with the same roster in pursuit of the title they narrowly missed out on. While the lineup remains unchanged, the team has struggled far more with cohesion this season and has yet to rediscover the formula that made them so successful a year ago. Having missed both international events so far this year, they have also found it difficult to challenge BLG domestically. Their first international appearance of the season could provide the ideal opportunity to kickstart their campaign.

They may be on the back foot, but they still come into this event with the sense that their MSI run was a success. The European powerhouse leaves the tournament after pushing Top Esports to a 3-2 series and beating T1 3-1, results that should give them a strong boost of confidence. Still, the heavy loss to LYON may already have created a first crack in the team’s aura. On the very night of their elimination, the Samurai announced that head coach Dylan Falco would be moved to the bench, with Luka “Perkz” Perković taking over the coaching staff. For better or worse, this event will serve as the first test of that new formula. .

Third seed from the LPL for this event, had to fight tooth and nail to qualify for their first international tournament of the year. They got past Bilibili Gaming and Weibo Gaming in tight series, then produced a strong group stage in Split 2 before collapsing to fifth-sixth place in the playoffs, falling first to TES and then to those same BLG in the lower bracket, just as they seemed to be finding their footing again. With a roster still packed with ambition, JDG arrive in this competition as a team with something to prove, but not as a machine built to steamroll the field. They open in a tricky group and start with a dangerous first match against LYON, a team they will need to treat very carefully.

Competing internationally for the first time since the 2024 World Championship, arrive with a very different identity. Built around a promising young roster led by Heo "" Su, the team has repeatedly shown this season that it is capable of both brilliant performances and disappointing collapses. Aside from ShowMaker and , the other three players will be making their international debut. While Dplus KIA still appear to be a step behind the tournament favourites, they possess the potential to upset anyone on the right day, not least thanks to their unconventional drafting approach.

After a disappointing MSI campaign, have little choice but to bounce back in front of their home crowd. The French side enjoyed another strong split in the LEC, losing a second final to G2 Esports in five games, but still has to prove it can translate that form to the international stage. Swept 3-0 by Team Liquid in the MSI Play-Ins, KC now have the opportunity to erase those memories with a strong showing on home soil. Particular attention will once again be on the botlane, which fell well short of expectations at MSI, especially with the current meta placing increasing responsibility on the duo.

The surprise conquerors of Top Esports at MSI, will be hoping to put together another remarkable international run. Thanks to their Pool 1 seeding, they have been drawn into a more favourable group, although the LCP's strongest team so far this season will still need to earn its place in the playoffs. Their objective will be to prove that their MSI breakthrough was no fluke and to establish themselves as a genuine international contender capable of representing the LCP on the biggest stage.

Clearly the third-best European team this year, well behind their G2 and KC counterparts,

Movistar KOI

are about to make their first international appearance of the season. Fortunately, they still come in as a solid unit, led by Joseph “” Pyun, who has had a strong year on the midlane, and by captain Javier “” Prades, who is no stranger to the big stage. They do, however, find themselves in what can fairly be described as the toughest group in the tournament, with BLG and T1 likely to leave very little room for error if they want to reach the knockout stage.

They may be one of the most surprising team of the year so far. With the CBLOL often treated as a minor region, tend to fly under the radar of the bigger names, even after winning the 2026 Americas Cup by taking down Cloud9 twice and Sentinels along the way. Brazil’s undisputed champions are exactly the kind of underdog that can produce a historic upset, especially in a best-of-one format this forgiving. They begin their tournament against G2 Esports, the same team they pushed to a fifth game at MSI 2025.

are one of the biggest question marks heading into this short competition. Back in League of Legends earlier this year for the LCS season, they earned their place at this first international event by going undefeated in the North American qualifier, a feat made even more notable by the fact that they later fell short in the LCS playoffs’ first round, losing immediately to a revenge-minded FlyQuest. They have, however, landed in a relatively open group. They open against TSW and could potentially face Karmine Corp later on. Given the recent balance of power between North America and Europe, there is at least reason to believe they could make a surprise run despite being a complete outsider.

Vietnam’s most iconic organization, even if less dominant over the past year and a half, is set to make its first international appearance since captain Đỗ "Levi" Duy Khánh retired. After finishing runner-up in the EWC qualifier, GAM Esports benefited from Secret Whales’ slot, as TSW qualified as LCP champions. It is a slightly underwhelming path into the event for a team that has clearly ranked among the top three in its league over the past few weeks this split. They still open in a group where they are far from favorites, thrown in with T1 and BLG, while potentially also running into MKOI, a team they beat in a best-of-one during their last meeting at Worlds 2024.

Representing the region that has struggled the most on the international stage so far this season, (competing under the name MIBR.LOS) round out our power rankings. With the exception of support , every member of the roster will be making their international debut at this Esports World Cup, leaving the team with considerably less experience than the rest of the field. While an upset cannot be entirely ruled out, their chances appear slim given they have been drawn into the same group as LYON, JD Gaming, and Hanwha Life Esports.