2026 League of Legends World Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | League of Legends |
| Location | United States |
| Administrator | Riot Games |
| Host(s) | Allen, Texas (play-ins, swiss stage, playoffs) New York City (Final) |
| Venue | TBD (in 2 host cities) |
| Teams | 18 |
The 2026 League of Legends World Championship is an upcoming esports tournament for the multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends, set to be held in the United States — in Allen, Texas of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and New York City, New York.[1] It will be the sixteenth iteration of the League of Legends World Championship, an annual international tournament organised by the game's developer, Riot Games.
It will be the United States' fifth hosting of the tournament, the third World Championship to be hosted in New York City after the 2016 and 2022 editions, and the first international League of Legends competition to be held in the state of Texas. Eighteen teams will qualify based on placement within their regional leagues and results gained in the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).
T1 of the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) are the three-time defending champions.[2][3]
Host selection
In a development update video published by Riot Games on 8 January 2025 to begin that year's competitive season, Riot Games announced that North America will host the 2026 edition of Worlds, with the United States being confirmed as the host country during the media day for the 2025 World Championship Final in Chengdu, China months later on 7 November 2025. Two cities will host the tournament - Allen, Texas of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and New York City.[4]
Allen will host all stages of the tournament until the semifinals. The city hosted the 2025 League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA) Championship Finals in September of the same year,[5] which was the only finals of the LTA after the announcement of its discontinuation after only one season. New York City will host the Final, becoming the first East Coast city to do so. It previously hosted the semifinals of the 2016 World Championship and the group stage and quarterfinals of the 2022 edition.[6]
Notably, this will be the first U.S.-hosted World Championship not to feature a West Coast host city, as the 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2022 editions featured Culver City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in California, and only the third tournament to be staged in two cities after 2013 and 2023.
Initial inclusion of Los Angeles
In an interview days before the 2025 World Championship final, Global Head of LoL Esports Chris Greeley revealed that the original plan was for the tournament to be hosted in three cities as with the previous two editions, with the play-in and swiss stages to be held at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, the home studio of the League Championship Series (LCS) located near Riot Games' global headquarters. The initial plan would've mirrored that of the 2024 edition, where the play-in and swiss stages took place at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, Germany, the home studio of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).
However, Greeley explained that the decision was based on feedback from fans during the 2024 World Championship that the venue for the play-in and swiss stages, the latter of which makes up most of the tournament, was too small, as well as Riot Games' current budget and logistical capabilities. Hence, it was then decided to move both stages to a "bigger venue" in Texas for the 2026 edition. No official venues have been announced yet.[7]
Qualification
The League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), League of Legends Pro League (LPL), League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), League of Legends (North America) League Championship Series (LCS), and the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) will have three directly qualified teams to the Swiss stage, while the League of Legends Brazilian and Southern Latin America Championship (CBLOL) will qualify one team. The winning team of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational will earn an automatic slot in the tournament provided it reaches the playoffs of its region's third split, while the second-best region in the said tournament will also earn another slot.
This will be the first World Championship to feature teams from the LCS and CBLOL since the 2024 edition following the splitting of the League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA) region in September 2025.[8]
Venues
| United States | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen, Texas | New York City | |||
| Play-in stage | Swiss stage | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals |
| TBA | TBA | |||
| Capacity: TBA | Capacity: TBA | |||
Format
Following the expansion of the tournament to 18 teams, the exact format will be announced at a later date.
References
- ^ Hale, Jacob (7 November 2025). "Riot Games Reveal 2026 International Tournament Locations: LoL Worlds '26, MSI & First Stand". Esports.net. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ Lea Maas (9 November 2025). "T1 wins LoL World Championship for 3rd straight year". Esports Insider. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ Lee Yoon-seo (9 November 2025). "T1 makes history with first-ever World Championship three-peat". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ "LoL: Worlds Headed to Texas, First Stand Expands to Eight Teams — Riot Outlines the 2026 International Schedule". Sheep Esports. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ Xu, Davide (4 June 2025). "The LTA Championship is coming to Texas". Esports Insider. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ Popko, John (21 November 2021). "Riot Games reveal the host cities for Worlds 2022". Inven Global. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ Xu, Davide (11 November 2025). "Inside Riot's Esports Vision: Chris Greeley on What Comes Next for LoL Esports". Hotspawn. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ^ Ciocchetti, Cecilia (28 September 2025). "Riot bids farewell to the LTA as LCS and CBLOL return in 2026". Esports Insider. Retrieved 7 November 2025.