Quick answer: The Worlds 2026 bracket is set. TOP Esports play Invictus Gaming on Tuesday, November 3, Gen.G play LYON on November 4, Dplus KIA play Bilibili Gaming on November 5, and T1 play Karmine Corp on November 6. Every Quarterfinal and Semifinal starts at 4:00 PM CST in Allen, Texas (5:00 PM ET, 10:00 PM UK, 11:00 PM CET, 7:00 AM KST the next day). The TES-IG and GEN-LYON winners meet in the first Semifinal on November 7, the DK-BLG and T1-KC winners meet in the second on November 8, and the Final is on Saturday, November 14 at 2:00 PM EST at Barclays Center. All seven series are best-of-five with no second chance. Checked against the official LoL Esports schedule on November 1, 2026.
What is the Worlds 2026 bracket?
Eight teams are left, and all seven remaining series are in the official LoL Esports schedule. This table shows the full path to the Final, and we update the Result column after each series.
| Round | Date (US) | Match | Winner goes to | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinal 1 | Tue Nov 3 | TOP Esports vs Invictus Gaming | Semifinal 1 | Upcoming |
| Quarterfinal 2 | Wed Nov 4 | Gen.G vs LYON | Semifinal 1 | Upcoming |
| Quarterfinal 3 | Thu Nov 5 | Dplus KIA vs Bilibili Gaming | Semifinal 2 | Upcoming |
| Quarterfinal 4 | Fri Nov 6 | T1 vs Karmine Corp | Semifinal 2 | Upcoming |
| Semifinal 1 | Sat Nov 7 | TES-IG winner vs GEN-LYON winner | Final | Upcoming |
| Semifinal 2 | Sun Nov 8 | DK-BLG winner vs T1-KC winner | Final | Upcoming |
| Final | Sat Nov 14 | Semifinal winners | Champion | Upcoming |
Riot's draw graphic, carried by Inven Global, shows the same two halves. Its dates are in Korean time, which is why they read one day later than the US dates above.
What time do the Worlds 2026 Quarterfinals and Semifinals start?
Every Quarterfinal and Semifinal has the same start time, so you only need one row. The US left daylight saving time on November 1, so Allen is on CST for the whole Knockout Stage. Riot's Worlds 2026 primer gives the Central, CET, China and Korea times, and we converted the rest from the 22:00 UTC start in the official schedule.
| Time zone | Quarterfinals and Semifinals (Nov 3 to 8) | Final (Nov 14) |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific (PST) | 2:00 PM | 11:00 AM |
| Central (CST) | 4:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| Eastern (EST) | 5:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
| Brazil (BRT) | 7:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| UK (GMT) | 10:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
| Central Europe (CET) | 11:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
| Moscow (MSK) | 1:00 AM next day | 10:00 PM |
| India (IST) | 3:30 AM next day | 12:30 AM next day |
| China and Singapore | 6:00 AM next day | 3:00 AM next day |
| Korea (KST) | 7:00 AM next day | 4:00 AM next day |
| Sydney (AEDT) | 9:00 AM next day | 6:00 AM next day |
A best-of-five ends when a team wins three games, so it can last three, four or five games. For every other clock, including the Swiss days, see our Worlds 2026 schedule in your time zone.
How was the Worlds 2026 Quarterfinals draw decided?
The draw ran right after the last Swiss series on October 31. Riot's primer spells out the rule: "This draw will randomly pair the two teams with (3-0) Swiss Stage records against two of the teams with (3-2) Swiss Stage records. The remaining four teams will then be randomly drawn into two more matches against one another."
| Swiss record | Teams | Quarterfinal opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 3-0 | Gen.G, Dplus KIA | LYON, Bilibili Gaming (both 3-2) |
| 3-1 | T1, Invictus Gaming, TOP Esports | Karmine Corp (3-2), or each other |
| 3-2 | Karmine Corp, LYON, Bilibili Gaming | See above |
That is why T1, despite a 3-1 record, landed on a 3-2 team while TES and IG drew each other. The draw also split the two 3-0 teams, so Gen.G and Dplus KIA can only meet in the Final. Full Swiss results are on our Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage standings page.
How did each Quarterfinalist get here?
These runs come from the official schedule. Only Gen.G and LYON have already played each other, so three of the four Quarterfinals are first meetings at this event.
| Team | League | Swiss record | Swiss run |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen.G | LCK | 3-0 | Beat IG, HLE, LYON 2-1 |
| Dplus KIA | LCK | 3-0 | Beat G2, T1, MKOI 2-0 |
| T1 | LCK | 3-1 | Beat LOS, lost to DK, beat CFO, MKOI 2-0 |
| Invictus Gaming | LPL | 3-1 | Lost to GEN, beat TSW, HLE, LYON 2-1 |
| TOP Esports | LPL | 3-1 | Lost to HLE, beat AL, G2, BLG 2-1 |
| Karmine Corp | LEC | 3-2 | Beat AL, lost to LYON and BLG, beat CFO 2-0, MKOI 2-0 |
| LYON | LCS | 3-2 | Beat TSW, KC, lost to GEN 1-2 and IG 1-2, beat LOS 2-1 |
| Bilibili Gaming | LPL | 3-2 | Lost to MKOI, beat TLAW, KC, lost to TES 1-2, beat HLE 2-0 |
By league, that is three LCK teams, three LPL teams, one LEC team and one LCS team. CBLOL and the LCP have nobody left. Movistar KOI, LOS and MSI winners Hanwha Life Esports all went out in Round 5 at 2-3.
Which Quarterfinal should you watch first?
TOP Esports vs Invictus Gaming (Nov 3). An all-LPL opener, so one LPL team is guaranteed a Semifinal spot. Both went 3-1 and they did not meet in the Swiss Stage. TES get the first selection for Game 1 as the first team drawn, according to Liquipedia.
Gen.G vs LYON (Nov 4). The only rematch. Gen.G won their Round 3 series 2-1, and LYON is the last LCS team in a tournament played in the United States. A win here would be the biggest upset of the bracket on paper, since Gen.G have not lost a series at Worlds yet.
Dplus KIA vs Bilibili Gaming (Nov 5). DK have lost nothing. BLG needed Round 5 but finished by sweeping Hanwha Life Esports 2-0, and this is the only LCK against LPL series in the Quarterfinals.
T1 vs Karmine Corp (Nov 6). This is the one we would stay up for. T1 are the three-time defending champions, and Karmine Corp came through the Play-In at their first Worlds, then won their last two Swiss series 2-0 to survive. Both swept Movistar KOI 2-0 on the way here.
Who can meet in the Worlds 2026 Semifinals and Final?
The bracket shape already answers most of the "can X play Y" questions:
- DK vs T1 is the only possible all-LCK Semifinal, on November 8, and DK won their Swiss game in Round 2.
- Gen.G can only meet DK or T1 in the Final, because they are in the other half of the bracket.
- The LCK can send at most three teams to the Semifinals, because TES vs IG guarantees the LPL at least one spot.
- An all-LPL Final is possible: the TES-IG winner would need to beat Gen.G or LYON, and BLG would need to win their half.
- An all-LCK Final is possible: Gen.G against either DK or T1.
- Karmine Corp and LYON can still meet, but only in the Final, in a rematch of their Round 2 game, which LYON won.
How does the Worlds 2026 Knockout Stage work?
It is an eight-team single-elimination bracket, and one series loss ends a team's run. These are the rules:
- Every series is a best-of-five, first to three wins.
- Liquipedia's format notes say every series uses Fearless Draft, so a champion played in a series is gone for the rest of that series.
- First selection for Game 1 of a Quarterfinal goes to the team with the better Swiss record, and a tie is settled by draw order. Semifinals and the Final use a coin flip.
- Quarterfinals and Semifinals are at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. The Final moves to Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
If you are going in person, our Worlds 2026 tickets guide lists every Knockout date and venue.
Can you still make a Worlds 2026 Pick'Ems bracket?
Yes. Knockout Pick'Ems are open now, and they ask for this exact bracket before it starts: seven series worth 160 points, with 10 per Quarterfinal, 20 per Semifinal and 80 for the Final. Picks lock before the first Quarterfinal on Tuesday, November 3. The official lock timestamp is 22:05 UTC, but treat the 4:00 PM CST start as your deadline. Our Worlds 2026 Pick'Ems guide has the lock time in nine time zones and the reward tiers.
FAQ
Who is in the Worlds 2026 Quarterfinals? Gen.G, Dplus KIA, T1, Invictus Gaming, TOP Esports, Karmine Corp, LYON and Bilibili Gaming.
When is T1 vs Karmine Corp? Friday, November 6 at 4:00 PM CST, which is 10:00 PM in the UK, 11:00 PM CET and 7:00 AM KST on Saturday, November 7.
Who does the winner of T1 vs Karmine Corp play? The winner of Dplus KIA vs Bilibili Gaming, in the second Semifinal on Sunday, November 8.
Can Gen.G and T1 meet before the Final? No. They are in opposite halves of the bracket, so the Final on November 14 is their only possible meeting.
Is the Worlds 2026 Knockout Stage double elimination? No. It is single elimination, so there is no lower bracket and one best-of-five loss ends a team's Worlds.
Where is the Worlds 2026 Final? Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday, November 14 at 2:00 PM EST, which is 7:00 PM in the UK, 8:00 PM CET and 4:00 AM KST on Sunday.
Last checked on November 1, 2026 against the official LoL Esports schedule and bracket data. Results update here after each series.
