League of Legends Worlds 2026 Predictions

The LoL Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage gets underway in Allen, Texas on October 23, with 16 teams left in the League of Legends World Championship. It’s the first time Worlds has been in North America since 2022, and the Play-In and Swiss draw are already done.

Gen.G are favorites at 9/4 (3.25) after another LCK title, but behind them, it’s as tight as it gets. MSI champions Hanwha Life Esports and three-time defending champions T1 are both 7/2 (4.50), while Bilibili Gaming are 4/1 (5.00).

Below, I break down the Worlds 2026 dates, Swiss format, last year’s final and look over the full outright odds. There’s a quick tip for every Round 1 game too, plus my three LoL Worlds 2026 predictions.

These are all best-of-ones, so I wouldn’t risk too much on any of them. That said, the G2 v Dplus KIA game is the one I’d be most tempted to get involved with: DK swept G2 at the EWC, and they’re the stronger side on current form.

These prices were taken before the Play-In started, and I’ve left out the three teams that went home, so Karmine Corp will be shorter now. In the region market, the LCK are 4/11 (1.36) to produce the winner, with the LPL at 11/4 (3.75) and the LEC at 14/1 (15.00).

Here are my main picks, including the esports team I’m backing for the title and the one I’d avoid.

Gen.G beat HLE 3-1 when the LCK trophy was on the line, after winning the LCK Cup earlier in the year. They don’t have a weak spot in their lineup either. Their Worlds record isn’t great, and 9/4 (3.25) isn’t a big price, but I can’t pick anyone else ahead of them.

BLG won First Stand in March, won the first two LPL splits, beat T1 at MSI and beat HLE 3-1 in the MSI upper-bracket final. They then took HLE to five games in the final. They’re still a bigger price than both of those teams.

Losing the LPL final to Anyone’s Legend doesn’t help their case. Still, Movistar KOI in Round 1 is a game they should win.

T1 finished third in the LCK, lost to HLE twice in the playoffs, went out of MSI against BLG and G2, and lost to Karmine Corp in the EWC semis. They’ve also lost Gumayusi. At 7/2 (4.50), they’re priced on the last three years more than this one.

Gen.G won the LCK Cup early in the year and the LCK title in September. They lost the first game of the final against Hanwha Life, then won the next three, with Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk named Finals MVP.

Their year hasn’t been spotless, though. They lost to T1 in the Road to MSI qualifier and missed MSI altogether, then went out to Dplus KIA in the Esports World Cup semis. Gen.G have won two MSI titles, but they’re still waiting on a first Worlds trophy under this name. Invictus Gaming in Round 1 is a tricky opener for a top seed.

Hanwha Life won MSI in Daejeon, coming from 2-1 down to beat Bilibili Gaming 3-2 in the final. Zeus was Finals MVP. They beat T1 twice in the LCK playoffs as well, the second time 3-1 in the lower-bracket final.

They still couldn’t get past Gen.G, though. The two teams both went 19-7 in the LCK regular season, and Gen.G won the final 3-1.

Anyone’s Legend are China’s first seed. They beat Bilibili Gaming 3-1 in the LPL final on September 13, having lost their previous six series against them this year. Jungler Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong was MVP of the final. That run nearly ended a round earlier, when Invictus Gaming took them to five games in the lower-bracket final.

Dplus KIA are the LCK’s fourth seed, but they won the Esports World Cup in July. They knocked out Bilibili Gaming and Gen.G, then swept Karmine Corp 3-0 in the final in Paris. It was Heo “ShowMaker” Su’s first international title since Worlds 2020. They open against G2, who they swept at the EWC.

G2 are the LEC champions and reached the First Stand final in March. Europe hasn’t won Worlds since Fnatic in 2011, though, and drawing Dplus KIA in Round 1 is rough luck for a first seed.

Top Esports are 33/1 (34.00) and have a problem in the top lane. Cheng “ZUIAN” Zi-Hao was denied a US visa twice, so veteran Bai “369” Jia-Hao is starting in his place. He hasn’t played a competitive game since earlier this year, and TES face HLE first up.

North America have a decent draw. Team Liquid, who beat LYON in the LCS Summer final, play CTBC Flying Oyster, while LYON face Team Secret Whales. LYON led HLE 2-0 in the MSI lower-bracket final before losing 3-2, so they can hang with the top sides.

Karmine Corp reached the Esports World Cup final in July, beating T1 in the semis, and they only dropped two games in the Play-In. Anyone’s Legend in Round 1 is a big step up from MVK and Cloud9.

• Korea’s run – LCK teams have won the last four Worlds, and seven of the last 10
• MSI form doesn’t last – no MSI winner has gone on to win Worlds in the same year since SK Telecom T1 in 2016
• T1 are the defending champions – they’ve won three titles in a row, and both of the last two finals went to five games

That’s why the LCK are only 4/11 (1.36) in the region market. I’d rather pick the right Korean team at top online bookmakers, or back the Chinese side with the best record against them this year.

The tournament started with 19 teams, which has now been shaved down to 16 after Karmine Corp won the Play-In.

In the upcoming Swiss Stage, teams with the same win-loss record are paired up. The recipe is simple: win three and you’re in the quarterfinals, lose three and you’re out. No team plays the same opponent twice.

The first two rounds are best-of-ones, which is where upsets happen. The series that decide who advances or goes home are best-of-threes.

From here, eight teams make the knockouts. Each of these is a best-of-five under Fearless Draft, meaning champions used earlier in a series can’t be picked again. The two 3-0 teams are each drawn against a 3-2 team in the quarterfinals, putting a premium on going unbeaten in the Swiss Stage.

T1 beat KT Rolster 3-2 in the final in Chengdu on November 9, 2025. It was their third title in a row and the organization’s sixth overall.

But T1’s lineup has changed significantly since. Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyung, the Finals MVP, left for Hanwha Life Esports, where he joined another former T1 world champion in Choi “Zeus” Woo-je. The pair won MSI together in July.

Notably, Korea has now won four Worlds in a row, with DRX in 2022 and T1 every year since. The last Chinese champions were EDward Gaming in 2021.

Here’s a quick look at how I rate the three main esports betting angles for Worlds 2026.

I’m happiest with Gen.G. It’s a short price, but they beat HLE twice in the LCK playoffs and won both domestic trophies.

BLG carry more risk. They’ve lost two big finals this year, to HLE and Anyone’s Legend, and one bad Bo1 in Swiss could give them a much harder path. A smaller stake makes sense here.

T1 could still prove me wrong. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok has six world titles, and they’ve found form late before. But 7/2 (4.50) is too short for a team that hasn’t won anything big this year.

Round 1 will shift the outright market, especially if one of the favorites loses a Bo1. Check the odds again before placing anything.

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