The 2026 League of Legends World Championship format will be restructured.

The 2026 League of Legends World Championship will officially usher in a tournament format reform. The number of participating teams has been expanded to 19, and the most important rule adjustments focus on the restructuring of the Play-In Stage and the redistribution of seed positions.

According to the latest qualification rules, LCK and LPL each secured 4 spots based on their MSI championship and runner-up results. Furthermore, due to the consistently strong performance of the fourth seeds from both regions, the official qualifying stage has been cancelled, and both regions have directly qualified for the main event.

The Play-In Stage has been reduced to four teams competing for one spot: the third seed from LEC, the third seed from LCS, the third seed from LCP, and the second seed from CBLOL, who are making their first appearance with two spots, will compete in a Bo5 double-elimination tournament. Only one winner will be able to advance to the main event, and three teams will be eliminated in the first week.

The Swiss-system stage of the main tournament continues the classic rules: 16 teams with the same record will be paired off, with the first team to achieve 3 wins advancing to the quarterfinals, and the team accumulating 3 losses being eliminated. Regular rounds will be played as a best-of-one (Bo1) single-match, while crucial qualifying matches and elimination matches will be played as a best-of-three (Bo3) series.

The knockout stage is an 8-team single-elimination tournament, with all matches played in best-of-five series. Matchups are drawn strictly based on the Swiss-system win record: teams with a 3-0 record will face teams with a 3-2 record, teams with a 3-1 record will play each other in an internal match, and the two teams that ultimately advance will meet in New York to compete for the global championship.

Image source: Internet