Quick answer: League of Legends Worlds 2026 runs October 15 to November 14 across Los Angeles, Allen (Texas) and Brooklyn. The Swiss Stage starts Friday, October 23 at 12:00 PM CDT (1:00 PM ET, 6:00 PM UK, 7:00 PM CEST, 2:00 AM KST the next day). The Quarterfinals and Semifinals start at 4:00 PM CST every day from November 3 to 8, and the Worlds 2026 Final at Barclays Center starts 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. Every time below is taken from Riot's official LoL Esports schedule and converted for daylight saving time, which ends in Europe on October 25 and in the US on November 1, in the middle of the event.
When does each stage of Worlds 2026 start?
Riot splits Worlds 2026 into three stages, played in three cities. Here is the shape of the event before we get into the exact clock times.
| Stage | Dates (US) | Format | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play-In Stage | October 15 to 18 | 4 teams, Bo5, double elimination, 1 team advances | Riot Games Arena, Los Angeles |
| Swiss Stage | October 23 to 26 and October 28 to 31 | 16 teams, 5 rounds, Bo1 and Bo3 | Credit Union of Texas Event Center, Allen |
| Quarterfinals | November 3 to 6 | 8 teams, Bo5 | Allen, Texas |
| Semifinals | November 7 and 8 | 4 teams, Bo5 | Allen, Texas |
| Final | November 14 | Bo5 | Barclays Center, Brooklyn |
Nineteen teams from six leagues qualified: four each from the LPL and LCK, three each from the LEC, LCS and LCP, and two from the CBLOL. Riot describes the tournament in its official Worlds 2026 primer this way: "Worlds is the pinnacle of competition, where the best teams from leagues around the globe face off for the ultimate title." This year's tagline is THIS IS OUR MOMENT.
What time is the Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage in my time zone?
The Swiss Stage is where most of the matches are, and it is also where the clock gets confusing. Europe leaves summer time on Sunday, October 25, so the European start time moves an hour earlier halfway through the first week while the US time stays the same. The first match of each day starts at these times (source: the official LoL Esports schedule):
| Swiss day | PT | CT | ET | UK | CET/CEST | KST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Oct 23 | 10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 2:00 AM Sat |
| Sat Oct 24 | 10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 2:00 AM Sun |
| Sun Oct 25 | 10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 2:00 AM Mon |
| Mon Oct 26 | 10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 2:00 AM Tue |
| Wed Oct 28 | 1:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 5:00 AM Thu |
| Thu Oct 29 | 1:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 5:00 AM Fri |
| Fri Oct 30 | 1:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 5:00 AM Sat |
| Sat Oct 31 | 10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 2:00 AM Sun |
More time zones for the first match of a 12:00 PM CDT day: 2:00 PM in Brazil (BRT), 10:30 PM in India (IST), 1:00 AM the next day in Singapore and the Philippines, and 4:00 AM the next day in Sydney (AEDT). On the 3:00 PM CDT days (October 28 to 30) add three hours to each of those.
Tuesday, October 27 is a rest day, with no matches.
How long does a Swiss day last?
The official schedule shows how each day is built, which tells you how late it runs:
- October 23 and 24: eight best-of-one matches per day, one every hour from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM CDT. Budget about eight hours.
- October 25 and 26: two best-of-one matches (12:00 PM and 1:00 PM CDT), then two best-of-three series at 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM CDT.
- October 28 to 30: two best-of-three series per day, at 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM CDT.
- October 31: three best-of-three series, at 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM CDT.
Later match times are estimates. A best-of-one can end early or run long, and Riot starts the next match when the previous one finishes, so treat any time after the first match as "not before."
How does the Worlds 2026 Swiss format work?
Sixteen teams play five rounds. Three match wins sends a team to the Knockout Stage and three losses eliminates it, so eight teams advance. From Riot's primer, Round 1 is drawn from four tiers, with Tier 1 facing Tier 4 and Tier 2 facing Tier 3, and no same-region matchups in Round 1:
- Tier 1: Gen.G, Anyone's Legend, Team Liquid Alienware, G2 Esports
- Tier 2: LOS, Team Secret Whales, Hanwha Life Esports, Bilibili Gaming
- Tier 3: LYON, Movistar KOI, T1, TOP Esports
- Tier 4: CTBC Flying Oyster, Invictus Gaming, Dplus Kia, the Play-In winner
From Round 2 onward, teams are paired against random opponents with the same record, with no rematches, and same-region matches become possible. Riot runs the round draws on October 23, 24, 26 and 30.
Who is in the Play-In final and when is it?
The Play-In Stage is the only part of Worlds 2026 already underway. Four teams (Karmine Corp, Cloud9 Kia, MVK Esports and FURIA) play a best-of-five double-elimination bracket, and only one of them joins the other 15 teams in the Swiss Stage.
Karmine Corp went 2-0 through the upper bracket, beating Cloud9 Kia 3-2 and MVK Esports 3-0. The deciding Play-In match is on Sunday, October 18 at 11:00 AM PDT (2:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM UK, 8:00 PM CEST, 3:00 AM KST on Monday), with Karmine Corp facing the winner of MVK Esports vs FURIA. The initial Swiss draw happens right after it ends.
What time are the Worlds 2026 Quarterfinals and Semifinals?
Every Knockout match is a best-of-five, and the US leaves daylight saving time on November 1, so the American labels change from CDT to CST here. Each day has one series:
| Day | Match | PT | CT | ET | UK | CET | KST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue Nov 3 | Quarterfinal 1 | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 7:00 AM Wed |
| Wed Nov 4 | Quarterfinal 2 | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 7:00 AM Thu |
| Thu Nov 5 | Quarterfinal 3 | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 7:00 AM Fri |
| Fri Nov 6 | Quarterfinal 4 | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 7:00 AM Sat |
| Sat Nov 7 | Semifinal 1 | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 7:00 AM Sun |
| Sun Nov 8 | Semifinal 2 | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 7:00 AM Mon |
Other regions: 7:00 PM in Brazil, 3:30 AM the next day in India, 6:00 AM the next day in Singapore and 9:00 AM the next day in Sydney.
The Quarterfinals draw happens on October 31, right after the Swiss Stage. The two 3-0 teams are each drawn against a 3-2 team, and the remaining four teams are paired randomly.
What time is the Worlds 2026 Final?
The Worlds 2026 Final is on Saturday, November 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York (Riot's venue announcement), and the broadcast starts at 2:00 PM EST.
- Los Angeles (PST): 11:00 AM Saturday
- Chicago and Dallas (CST): 1:00 PM Saturday
- New York (EST): 2:00 PM Saturday
- Sao Paulo (BRT): 4:00 PM Saturday
- London (GMT): 7:00 PM Saturday
- Paris, Berlin, Madrid (CET): 8:00 PM Saturday
- India (IST): 12:30 AM Sunday
- Singapore, Manila, Beijing (UTC+8): 3:00 AM Sunday
- Seoul (KST): 4:00 AM Sunday
- Sydney (AEDT): 6:00 AM Sunday
It is a best-of-five, so a full five-game final can run four hours or more once you add the pre-show and breaks between games. If you are in Korea or China, you are looking at an all-nighter.
Where can you watch Worlds 2026?
Every match streams free on the official LoL Esports channels. Riot lists these Twitch channels as participating in Worlds subscriptions: twitch.tv/riotgames, twitch.tv/cblol, twitch.tv/lolesportsla, twitch.tv/lolesportstw and twitch.tv/leagueoflegendsjp. Subscribers get custom chat emotes, badges and ad-free viewing, and Riot puts part of that revenue into the Global Revenue Pool for teams and leagues. You can also watch on lolesports.com, which shows the live schedule converted to your local time.
If you want the action without the late nights in Asia, the Swiss Stage weekends (October 24, 25 and 31) are the friendliest days for European viewers, and the Knockout Stage is the friendliest stretch for Korea and Australia, where it lands on a weekday morning.
When do Worlds 2026 Pick'Ems open and lock?
Pick'Ems and Crystal Ball are back, playable at lolesports.com/pickems or in the League client. Riot's key dates:
- October 10, 4:00 PM PDT: Crystal Ball and Play-In picks opened
- October 15: Play-In picks locked before the first match
- October 18: Swiss picks open
- October 23: Swiss picks lock before the first Swiss match (12:00 PM CDT)
- October 31: Knockout picks open
- November 3: Knockout picks lock before the first Quarterfinal (4:00 PM CST)
- November 14: scores finalize when the Final ends, with rewards aimed to arrive within 48 hours
The practical window for Swiss picks is short: they open after the Play-In final on October 18 and lock on October 23, so you have five days. Riot says anyone who believes they qualified for a reward and did not receive it by November 21 should contact Player Support.
What else is happening around Worlds 2026?
- Featured skin: True Damage Know My Name Yasuo, plus chromas, border bundles and an exclusive chroma through Worlds Unlocked.
- Season 3: Worlds 2026 Pass with a Prestige Chroma and Prestige Emote.
- Team icons and regional emotes for the LPL, LEC, LCK, LCS, LCP and CBLOL, and Elite Worlds Winner Chromas for the 2013 SKT T1 K championship skins.
- International Tournament Skin Promotion after the Final: eligible skins used by the winning team go on sale at 33% off (Prestige, Ultimate, Mythic Variant, Exalted and Transcendent skins excluded).
- Worlds Fan Fest at Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan, November 12 and 13 from 3 to 9 PM EST, and November 14 from 11 AM to 8 PM EST.
We will update this page as the Play-In winner, the Swiss pairings and the bracket are confirmed. If you also play other live-service games while you wait between matches, our guide to the best live-service games to play in 2026 is a good place to start.
FAQ
What time does Worlds 2026 start today? On Swiss Stage days the first match is at 12:00 PM CDT (October 23 to 26 and October 31) or 3:00 PM CDT (October 28 to 30). Quarterfinals and Semifinals start at 4:00 PM CST from November 3 to 8, and the Final starts at 2:00 PM EST on November 14.
What time is the Worlds 2026 Final in the UK and Europe? 7:00 PM GMT in the UK and 8:00 PM CET in Central Europe on Saturday, November 14, 2026.
What time is the Worlds 2026 Final in Korea? 4:00 AM KST on Sunday, November 15, because the match starts at 2:00 PM EST on Saturday in New York.
Why did the European start time change during the Swiss Stage? Europe leaves summer time on October 25 while the US stays on daylight time until November 1. The Swiss Stage start time in Texas does not move, so the same 12:00 PM CDT match starts at 7:00 PM CEST on October 23 and 6:00 PM CET from October 25.
How many teams make it out of the Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage? Eight of the 16. A team needs three match wins to advance, and three losses eliminates it.
Where is the Worlds 2026 Final being played? Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Play-In Stage was in Los Angeles, and the Swiss Stage, Quarterfinals and Semifinals are in Allen, Texas.
