The League of Legends World Championship 2026 kicks off on October 15. This year North America hosts the whole event, from the Play-In Stage in Los Angeles to the grand final at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on November 14.
Nineteen teams from six regions are taking part, and Pick’Ems open tomorrow. Here’s the full schedule, the start times for Europe and the in-game rewards you can grab along the way.
Worlds 2026 Schedule
The tournament runs for a full month across three cities. Each stage has its own format and venue.
| Stage | Dates | City | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play-In Stage | October 15–18 | Los Angeles | Best-of-five, double elimination |
| Swiss Stage | October 23–31 | Allen, Texas | Best-of-one and best-of-three |
| Quarterfinals and semifinals | November 3–8 | Allen, Texas | Best-of-five |
| Grand final | November 14 | Brooklyn, New York | Best-of-five |
Play-In matches start at 11:00 AM Pacific time, which is 8:00 PM in Central Europe. The grand final also starts at 11:00 AM Pacific, so European fans can watch it from 8:00 PM as well.
Who Is Playing
Korea and China send four teams each, while EMEA, North America and Asia Pacific bring three. Brazil completes the field with two.
- **LCK:** Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports, T1, Dplus KIA
- **LPL:** Anyone’s Legend, Bilibili Gaming, TOP Esports, Invictus Gaming
- **LEC:** G2 Esports, Movistar KOI, Karmine Corp
- **LCS:** Team Liquid, LYON, Cloud9
- **LCP:** Team Secret Whales, CTBC Flying Oyster, MVK Esports
- **CBLOL:** LOS, FURIA
Four teams start in the Play-In Stage, and only the winner moves on. In the Swiss Stage, 16 teams then play up to five rounds: three wins send a team to the knockouts, while three losses send it home.
Pick’Ems and In-Game Rewards
Pick’Ems and the Crystal Ball open on October 10, and Play-In picks lock on October 15. So if you want the rewards, make your picks before the first match.
In the game itself, the featured Worlds skin is True Damage Know My Name Yasuo, with chromas and a border set. The Season 3: Worlds 2026 Pass adds a Prestige Chroma and a Prestige Emote, and the premium version unlocks more. You’ll also find team icons and emotes for every region.
The Worlds Pass and skins cost Riot Points. A League of Legends gift card adds RP without a bank card, as long as you pick the card for your account’s region, for example the EU card for a European account or the US card for North America.
Buy League of Legends Gift Card (EU)
A Discount After the Final
Once a champion is crowned on November 14, the skins the winning team used in the final go 33% off. Prestige, Ultimate, Mythic and other premium tiers are excluded, though.
That makes the days after the final a good moment to spend your RP. If a code ever refuses to redeem, our guide on why a gift card is not working covers the usual causes.
