Worlds 2026 opens 15 October in Los Angeles and ends at Barclays Center on 14 November
· Published · 1 min read
Riot's League of Legends World Championship runs across three US venues this autumn: Play-Ins in Los Angeles, Swiss and knockout stages in Allen, Texas, and the final in Brooklyn.
The 2026 League of Legends World Championship begins on Thursday, 15 October with the Play-In Stage at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, running to 18 October. The Swiss Stage moves to the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, across 23–26 and 28–31 October, and the knockout stage stays in Allen for the quarterfinals on 3–6 November and the semifinals on 7–8 November. The final is at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, 14 November.
Nineteen teams take part. The LCK, LCS, LCP, LEC and LPL send three each, CBLOL sends two, one place goes to the MSI 2026 champion and one more to the region of the MSI runner-up.
What changed in the format
Riot says the format largely mirrors Worlds 2025, with two changes. The Play-In Stage is now a double-elimination best-of-five bracket from which a single team advances, and regional seeding is tied to results at MSI 2026.
For bettors
Outright markets usually open before the Play-In draw, so a price on any team that has to come through Los Angeles carries one extra elimination round of risk compared with a direct Swiss Stage entrant. Check which seed a team holds before comparing numbers across books.
- Worlds 2026 runs from 15 October to 14 November across Los Angeles, Allen (Texas) and Brooklyn.
- 19 teams qualify: three each from the LCK, LCS, LCP, LEC and LPL, two from CBLOL, one MSI champion slot and one extra slot for the MSI runner-up's region.
- The Play-In Stage is a double-elimination best-of-five bracket with a single team advancing to the Swiss Stage.
Sources
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