Worlds 2026: Schedule, Teams, Format and How to Watch

Information checked October 6, 2026.

League of Legends’ biggest tournament is heading back to the United States. Worlds 2026 runs from October 15 to November 14, taking the competition through Los Angeles, Allen, Texas, and Brooklyn, New York. Nineteen teams will compete, but only one will finish the tournament as world champion.

Whether you’re following your favorite team or watching professional League for the first time, there’s plenty to keep track of. Here’s the schedule, the qualified teams, how the tournament works and where to watch.

New to the game? Gaming.net’s League of Legends beginner explainer introduces the roles, objectives and basics behind the action.

When and Where Is Worlds 2026?

Worlds begins at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles for Play-Ins. It then moves to the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, just north of Dallas, for Swiss, quarterfinals and semifinals.

The final takes place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, November 14. That gives fans a month of competition, with breaks between stages rather than matches every day.

Worlds 2026 Schedule and U.S. Start Times

Here are the announced daily broadcast start times for both U.S. coasts. Later matches depend on how long earlier games and series take.

The U.S. daylight-saving change falls on November 1, which is why October uses EDT/PDT and November uses EST/PST. The table converts Riot’s announced venue-local times. Check the official LoL Esports schedule before watching in case of changes.

Which Teams Have Qualified?

The field includes four teams each from Korea and China, three each from EMEA, North America and Asia-Pacific, and two from Brazil.

LOS and FURIA have qualified, but their first- and second-seed positions remain pending the CBLOL final on October 10. The second seed joins Karmine Corp, Cloud9 Kia and MVK Esports in Play-Ins.

T1 brings an especially compelling storyline. Riot’s Worlds music campaign celebrates Faker and the team’s three consecutive championship victories. A fourth would extend an extraordinary run—but qualification is only the beginning.

How Does the Worlds 2026 Format Work?

There are three stages, and the route gets less forgiving as the tournament progresses.

Play-Ins: Four Teams, One Remaining Place

Play-Ins uses a four-team double-elimination bracket, with every match played as a best-of-five. The winner joins 15 directly qualified teams in Swiss.

An early defeat leaves a route through the lower bracket, but the final qualifying series decides who advances. There is only one Swiss place available.

Swiss: Three Wins to Advance

Sixteen teams compete across up to five rounds. Three match wins send a team to knockouts; three losses end its tournament.

Matches deciding advancement or elimination are best-of-three. Other matches are best-of-one. After the opening round, teams face opponents with the same win-loss record: a 1–0 team, for example, meets another 1–0 team.

Round one pairs Pool 1 against Pool 4 and Pool 2 against Pool 3, with no same-region matchups. Later rounds can feature regional rivals; repeat opponents are normally prohibited.

Knockouts: Win the Series or Go Home

The eight surviving teams enter a single-elimination bracket. Quarterfinals, semifinals and the final are all best-of-five. Each series requires three game wins, and every series defeat means elimination.

Fearless Draft applies to best-of-three and best-of-five series: champions played by either team become unavailable to both for the rest of that series. That makes deeper champion pools part of the challenge.

Worlds is scheduled to use patch 26.20, with a $5 million prize pool and $1 million for the winning team.

How to Watch Worlds 2026

Start with LoL Esports for the schedule and available broadcast options. For English-language coverage, bookmark Riot Games on Twitch and the LoL Esports YouTube channel.

Check the official schedule for broadcasts in your preferred language. Twitch subscriptions are optional and offer benefits such as channel emotes and ad-free viewing; they are separate from tournament participation.

If you’re new to watching League, focus on the gold difference and upcoming objectives before trying to follow every ability. Those clues make the action easier to understand. Gaming.net’s best esports games for beginners also provides a broader introduction to competitive gaming.

Important Draw and Pick’Em Dates

The Play-In draw follows the CBLOL final on October 10. The opening Swiss draw takes place on October 18, and the quarterfinal draw follows Swiss on October 31.

Want to make predictions? Worlds Pick’Ems opens on October 10 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Play-In, Swiss and knockout predictions lock before their respective stages begin. Check the prediction page for eligibility and deadlines.

Attending Worlds in Person

Use Riot’s official ticket portal to check available events and purchasing options. General admission sales began in July, so availability will depend on the session.

Before traveling, read the venue policies. Bag limits differ between Allen and Brooklyn, and re-entry is not permitted during the Texas knockout sessions or the Brooklyn final.

What Else Should Fans Watch For?

True Damage returns with “Know My Name,” the Worlds 2026 anthem. Its music video premieres on October 8 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, and the group is scheduled to perform at the final’s opening ceremony.

For the competition itself, circle October 15 for the opening action, October 23 for the start of Swiss and November 14 for the final. Pick a team, keep the schedule handy and settle in—the road to the championship starts here.