Our Worlds 2026 predictions in one place: where every team stands after round 2, our picks for round 3, the knockout path to the final in Brooklyn and a plain look at betting rules in the United States.
Four LCK teams, four LPL teams, three each from Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific league, and two from Brazil started this tournament. After two Swiss rounds, here is where we put them. A tier is a judgment, not a guarantee: one bad best-of-one can end a favorite's week.
Favorites
Gen.G is the LCK 2026 champion and has beaten Invictus Gaming and Hanwha Life. Hanwha Life Esports won MSI 2026 and has only the Gen.G loss on its record.
Contenders
Dplus KIA sits at 2-0 with wins over G2 and T1. T1 and Bilibili Gaming are 1-1 and have the experience to recover.
Dark horses
Movistar KOI and LYON are both 2-0. G2 Esports and Top Esports are 1-1 and dangerous in any single game.
Fighting to survive
Anyone's Legend, Team Liquid Alienware, Team Secret Whales and Los Grandes are 0-2. Karmine Corp, CTBC Flying Oyster and Invictus Gaming are 1-1 with the toughest road.
Our pick to win Worlds 2026: Gen.G, with Hanwha Life as the main threat. Our upset watch is Movistar KOI, which has two wins and meets Dplus KIA next. Both calls are opinions built on results through October 24.
Sixteen teams play up to five rounds in Allen, Texas. Three wins send a team to the quarterfinals, three losses end its run, and teams with the same record are paired against each other with no rematches. Rounds 1 and 2 were best-of-one; matches between 2-0 or 0-2 teams are best-of-three, and 1-1 matches stay best-of-one. Results are current through round 2 (October 24).
2-0 2 wins, 0 losses: one win from the knockouts
1-1 1 win, 1 loss
0-2 0 wins, 2 losses: one more loss and they are out
Eight matches on October 25 and 26. Times are Eastern Time (Dallas is one hour behind). Scores from these matches are not included here, so check the result before you read a pick.
Hanwha Life won MSI 2026 and has one loss, to Gen.G. Invictus Gaming bounced back against Team Secret Whales after losing to Gen.G. Hanwha is the pick in a Bo1. Our pick: Hanwha Life Esports
Top Esports beat Anyone's Legend after losing to Hanwha Life. G2 beat Los Grandes after losing to Dplus KIA. A coin flip in a best-of-one, so we pass. No pick
Both teams are 2-0 and the winner is through. Dplus KIA beat G2 and T1, Movistar KOI beat Bilibili and CTBC. A slight lean to Dplus KIA over three games. Our pick: Dplus KIA
Gen.G beat Invictus and Hanwha Life. LYON, the LCS Summer runner-up, beat Team Secret Whales and Karmine Corp. Gen.G is the strongest favorite on the board. Our pick: Gen.G
T1 beat Los Grandes, then lost to Dplus KIA. CTBC beat Team Liquid, then lost to Movistar KOI. T1's experience gives a small edge in one game. Our pick: T1
Karmine Corp came out of the Play-In and beat Anyone's Legend before losing to LYON. Bilibili lost to Movistar KOI, then beat Team Liquid. A small edge to Bilibili. Our pick: Bilibili Gaming
Both sides are 0-2 and the loser is out. Team Secret Whales, LCP Split 3 champion, edge Los Grandes, CBLOL Split 2 champion, but not by much. Our pick: Team Secret Whales
Anyone's Legend, LPL Split 3 champion, meets Team Liquid, LCS Summer champion, in an elimination series. Anyone's Legend is the pick. Our pick: Anyone's Legend
Two teams will be qualified by the end of the first Bo3 block: the winners of Dplus KIA vs Movistar KOI and Gen.G vs LYON. The two 0-2 series are pure elimination games, where the loser goes home.
North America sent three teams: Team Liquid Alienware, LYON and Cloud9 KIA. Cloud9 already fell in the Play-In, losing 3-2 to Karmine Corp and then 3-1 to FURIA. That leaves two hopes.
LYON beat Team Secret Whales and Karmine Corp. Its round 3 match is Gen.G on October 25 at 6:00 PM ET, in a best-of-three. Losing to the LCK champion would not end its run: it would still have two more chances, because a team needs three losses to be eliminated.
Team Liquid lost to CTBC Flying Oyster and Bilibili Gaming. On October 26 it plays Anyone's Legend, also 0-2, in a best-of-three at 6:00 PM ET. Lose, and the LCS Summer champion is out. Win, and it moves to 1-2 and needs two more wins without a loss.
The honest read: one North American team reaching the quarterfinals would be a good result, two would be a surprise.
American odds show a price per $100. A negative number is the stake needed to win $100, a positive number is the profit on a $100 stake. Either way, you can turn the price into a probability and compare it with your own read of the match.
For negative odds the formula is odds ÷ (odds + 100), ignoring the minus sign. For positive odds it is 100 ÷ (odds + 100).
| American odds | Implied probability |
|---|---|
| -300 | 75.0% |
| -200 | 66.7% |
| -110 | 52.4% |
| +100 | 50.0% |
| +150 | 40.0% |
| +300 | 25.0% |
Take a fictional match priced at -200 on one team and +170 on the other. The implied probabilities are 66.7% and 37.0%, which add up to 103.7%. The extra 3.7% is the sportsbook's hold. On a Worlds outright market, where eight teams might share the title chances, the hold is usually larger.
A best-of-five rewards the better team far more than a best-of-one does. A team with a 60% chance in a single game has about 65% over a best-of-three and 68% over a best-of-five. If a price does not move with the format, something is off.
If you would rather predict without money, Riot's Pick'Em runs inside the client and on the esports site. Swiss picks locked on October 23, knockout picks open on October 31 and lock on November 3, and scores are finalized on November 14. It costs nothing and it is a good way to test your reads.
The rules are state by state. There is no single federal rule for esports betting. Some regulated sportsbooks offer League of Legends in states that allow it, some states approve events one at a time, and others do not allow esports wagers at all. The legal age is 21 in most states, with a few at 18.
A sportsbook licensed in your own state is the safest place to bet, because a state regulator can step in if a payout is disputed. An offshore operator has no such backstop. If you use one, you accept that there is nobody to complain to and that your access can change without notice.
We publish predictions as analysis, not as advice to stake. Set a budget you can afford to lose, never chase a loss, and leave the bet alone if a match feels like a must-win for you. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER, the national helpline (ncpgambling.org).
One partner is shown on this page, with what we can honestly say about it.
Vave lists League of Legends among its esports, according to independent reviews we read. We have not tested it, and the depth of its Worlds markets is something to check on the site itself.
Eight teams qualify from the Swiss stage. The draw on October 31 puts each 3-0 team against a 3-2 team, and the other four are paired at random. Every knockout series is a best-of-five, and champion picks follow the Fearless Draft rule: a champion played in a series is off the table for both teams for the rest of it.
| Stage | Dates | First match (ET) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinals | Nov. 3–6 | 5:00 PM ET | Allen, Texas |
| Semifinals | Nov. 7–8 | 5:00 PM ET | Allen, Texas |
| Final | Sat, Nov. 14 | 2:00 PM ET | Barclays Center, Brooklyn |
The first Worlds final on the East Coast, in Brooklyn, closes a tournament with a $5,000,000 base prize pool.
Four teams from Korea and China, three each from Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific league, and two from Brazil. Cloud9 KIA, MVK Esports and FURIA were eliminated in the Play-In.
KoreaLCK
ChinaLPL
Europe and the Middle EastLEC
North AmericaLCS
Asia-PacificLCP
BrazilCBLOL
The base pool is $5,000,000. The champion takes 20%, or $1,000,000.
| Place | Share of pool | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20% | $1,000,000 |
| 2 | 16% | $800,000 |
| 3-4 | 8% | $400,000 |
| 5-8 | 6% | $300,000 |
| 9-11 | 3.5% | $175,000 |
| 12-14 | 2.5% | $125,000 |
| 15-16 | 1.8% | $90,000 |
| 17 | 1% | $50,000 |
| 18 | 0.8% | $40,000 |
| 19 | 0.6% | $30,000 |
The final is on November 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The Play-In was in Los Angeles. The Swiss stage, quarterfinals and semifinals are in Allen, Texas, and the final is at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Sixteen teams play up to five rounds. Three wins qualify a team for the knockouts and three losses eliminate it. Teams with the same record meet, and there are no rematches. Matches between 2-0 or 0-2 teams are best-of-three; the rest are best-of-one.
Nineteen teams from six regions started the tournament: four from Korea, four from China, and three each from Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific league, plus two from Brazil.
Our favorites are Gen.G, the LCK 2026 champion, and Hanwha Life Esports, the MSI 2026 winner. Dplus KIA, T1 and Bilibili Gaming are the next group.
It depends on your state. Some licensed sportsbooks offer League of Legends where esports wagering is allowed, others do not. Offshore operators are not licensed by U.S. states.
It is Riot's free prediction game for Worlds. Knockout picks open on October 31 and lock on November 3, and final scores are set on November 14.
In a best-of-three or best-of-five, a champion played in one game cannot be picked again by either team for the rest of the series. It rewards teams with a wide champion pool.
Compare your Worlds 2026 prediction with a real price before you bet.
See Worlds odds