Qualification for the 2026 League of Legends World Championship took place from August to October 2026, qualifying nineteen (19) teams for the final tournament. The six Tier 1 regional leagues are expected to have representation at the tournament.
As the winner of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), Hanwha Life Esports of the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) received an automatic slot in the tournament, provided it qualified for its league's playoffs; this was confirmed on 15 August 2026. By virtue of being the second-best-performing region at MSI, China's League of Legends Pro League (LPL) also earned an additional slot to the World Championship.
Outside of the berths from MSI, the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP), League Championship Series, (LCS), League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), and the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) produced three (3) qualified teams each, while the Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLOL) qualified two (2) teams.
Method Nineteen teams participated in the World Championship, with each team sending a roster of five players. Teams may have an additional one to two players on their roster.
Qualification via Regional Leagues Five regional leagues, namely the LCK, LCP, LCS, LEC, and LPL, distributed three (3) quotas each, while the CBLOL allocated two (2), making a total of seventeen (17) berths.
As qualification to the World Championship was part of each regional league's season, namely the third split, each league decided its own formats and qualification methods. The LCP and the LPL were the only two leagues to qualify teams for the tournament via the championship points system, with the LPL additionally utilizing a regional qualifier bracket.
Qualification via Mid-Season Invitational The remaining two slots were attributed to results gained at the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational, with the winning team earning a berth to the World Championship, provided it reached the playoffs of its region's third split. Meanwhile, the second best-performing region at MSI also received an additional berth.
Qualified teams Qualification took place from 2 August to 3 October. The dates are inclusive, either from the beginning until the end of each league's playoff phase or from the date when the first team from one region qualifies until the end of the season. Qualification Host Dates Qualified Winner of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational Daejeon 28 June–12 July Hanwha Life Esports Finalists of the 2026 LCP Split 3 Playoffs2026 LCP Championship Points Leader Taipei 2–30 August Team Secret WhalesCTBC Flying OysterMVK Esports Winner of the 2026 LPL season2026 LPL Championship Points LeaderWinners of the 2026 LPL Regional Qualifiers Suzhou Shanghai 13 August–19 September Anyone's LegendBilibili GamingTop EsportsInvictus Gaming Winner and top 3 and 4 of the 2026 LCK playoffs Seoul 29 August–13 September Gen.GT1Dplus KIA Top Three of the 2026 LEC Summer Split playoffs Madrid Berlin Nice 5–20 September G2 EsportsMovistar KOIKarmine Corp Finalists of the 2026 CBLOL Split 2 playoffs São Paulo Rio de Janeiro 5 September–10 October Los GrandesFURIA Top Three of the 2026 LCS Summer Split playoffs Los Angeles Atlanta 12 September–4 October Team Liquid AlienwareLYONCloud9 KIA
Qualification matches Qualification matches did not necessarily determine the seeding of each team for the tournament.
MSI 2026 Bilibili Gaming vs. Hanwha Life Esports | Grand Final Since 2024, the MSI Champion is assured of a spot at the League of Legends World Championship provided it qualified for its region's playoffs during the third split. Hanwha Life Esports' victory over Bilibili Gaming reserved its spot in the tournament, but was not formalized yet at the time of victory due to the above-mentioned condition.
CBLOL Los Grandes vs. LOUD | Upper Bracket Final Los Grandes advanced to its first World Championship with its five-game series win over LOUD.
LOUD vs. FURIA | Lower Bracket Final With its 3–0 win over LOUD, FURIA qualified for its first League of Legends World Championship.
LCK Hanwha Life Esports vs. KT Rolster | Round 4 - Legend Group After MSI 2026, Hanwha Life Esports was provisionally qualified for the World Championship, but its qualification for the LCK playoffs will confirm its place in the event. With their 2-1 win over KT Rolster, the team secured its slot in the tournament for the sixth time and the third under its current name, meeting the qualification conditions for the MSI winner.
Gen.G vs. KT Rolster | Upper Bracket Round 2 Gen.G qualified for its seventh consecutive League of Legends World Championship since the 2020 edition through its win over 2025 finalists KT Rolster. The latter's opponents in the 2025 final, defending champions T1, while not having a qualification match, also secured its place in the tournanment through Gen.G's victory, as it had a higher seed over KT and qualified for the lower bracket semifinals, which constitute the playoffs final four.
KT Rolster vs. Dplus KIA | Lower Bracket Round 2 After missing the 2025 edition, Dplus KIA secured its sixth World Championship appearance in seven years, joining T1 as the only two LCK teams to qualify for six tournaments throughout the said span since 2020. Meanwhile, 2025 finalists KT Rolster failed to qualify for the World Championship, becoming the first finalists to not qualify for the next edition since 2022 winners DRX, who weren't able to qualify for the 2023 tournament.
LCP Team Secret Whales vs. CTBC Flying Oyster | Swiss Stage 2-0 Round Team Secret Whales previously won the first two splits of the season, placing them at first place in championship points. The team's victory over CTBC Flying Oyster secured a 3-0 swiss stage record, qualifying for playoffs and securing enough championship points to qualify for its fourth World Championship and the second under the current name, as it assured of at least a top three ranking in the said category. Later, Team Secret Whales qualified as a finalist of the 2026 LCP Split 3 Playoffs after the team's victory over CTBC Flying Oyster in Upper Bracket Final.
MVK Esports vs. GAM Esports | Lower Bracket Round 1 MVK Esports' victory over GAM Esports secured at least a top three ranking in the championship points, qualifying for the World Championship for the fifth appearance in its history.
CTBC Flying Oyster vs. MVK Esports | Lower Bracket Final CTBC Flying Oyster qualified for the World Championship as a finalist of the 2026 LCP Split 3 Playoffs after the team's victory over MVK Esports in Lower Bracket Final, making its fourth appearance in its fifth year as an organization.
LCS LYON vs. Cloud9 KIA | Upper Bracket Round 2 Cloud9 KIA have not qualified for the World Championship since the 2023 edition after missing the 2024 and 2025 tournaments, nearly qualifying for the former. With their 3–1 upset victory over reigning league champions LYON, Cloud9 secured its place at the League of Legends World Championship for the first time in three years and its 11th appearance overall.
Team Liquid Alienware vs. FlyQuest | Upper Bracket Round 2 After missing the 2025 edition, Team Liquid Alienware secured its sixth World Championship and the first under the current name with their 3–0 victory over FlyQuest.
LYON vs. Shopify Rebellion | Lower Bracket Round 3 LYON qualified for their first World Championship under their current name and fifth in its history with a 3-1 victory over Shopify Rebellion. In addition, they became the first Latin America-based organisation to qualify for the World Championship since the LLA's closure in 2024.
LEC Team Vitality vs. G2 Esports | Upper Bracket Round 1 With its 3–0 win over Team Vitality, G2 Esports secured its 10th League of Legends World Championship in eleven years, with their only absence being in 2021.
Karmine Corp vs. GIANTX | Upper Bracket Round 1 After qualifying for its first international League of Legends competition in 2025 and its first Mid-Season Invitational in 2026, Karmine Corp qualified for the World Championship for the first time in its history, and became the third French-based organization to appear at the tournament after Against All Authority and Team Vitality.
Natus Vincere vs. Movistar KOI | Lower Bracket Round 2 Movistar KOI advanced to its ninth World Championship and the second under the current name.
LPL TT Gaming vs. Bilibili Gaming | Group Ascend Bilibili Gaming finished as winners of the previous two splits of the season, putting them at first in championship points heading into the third split. The team's win over TT Gaming secured at least a top two ranking in the said category, qualifying for its fourth consecutive World Championship.
Anyone's Legend vs. Invictus Gaming | Lower Bracket Final Anyone's Legend's victory over Invictus Gaming in a five-game series secured at least a top two ranking in the championship points, qualifying for its second consecutive World Championship. Later, Anyone's Legend qualified as the winner of the 2026 LPL season after the team's victory over Bilibili Gaming in Grand Final.
Top Esports vs. Invictus Gaming | Regional Qualifier 3rd Seed Playoff Both Top Esports and Invictus Gaming qualified for the 3rd seed playoff by virtue of placing third and fourth, respectively, in the championship points ranking. With their 3–1 win, Top Esports secured its spot at the World Championship for the fifth time and Invictus Gaming was relegated to the 4th seed playoff.
Invictus Gaming vs. JD Gaming | Regional Qualifier 4th Seed Playoff JD Gaming advanced to the 4th seed playoff after winning its elimination series against fifth seed Team WE. With their 3–1 victory over JD Gaming, Invictus Gaming qualified for its sixth World Championship.
Notes
External links
2026 World Championship Ruleset
References