5 min readLeague of LegendsLeonard Guido
How to Watch Worlds 2026: Knockout Stage and Final
Worlds 2026 knockouts start Nov 3 in Allen and the final hits Brooklyn on Nov 14: quarterfinal schedule, start times, free streams and teams to watch.
- Dates
- Quarterfinals Nov 3 to 6, semifinals Nov 7 and 8, final Nov 14, 2026
- Location
- Allen, Texas (quarterfinals and semifinals), Barclays Center, Brooklyn (final)
- Teams
- 8 left: Gen.G, Dplus KIA, T1, Top Esports, Invictus Gaming, Bilibili Gaming, Karmine Corp, LYON
- Format
- Single elimination, every series best-of-five with Fearless Draft
- Prize pool
- $5,000,000
- Watch
- Free on Twitch, YouTube and Kick (riotgames, lolesports)
The Swiss Stage is done, eight teams are left, and the 2026 League of Legends World Championship now moves into its best part. From Tuesday, November 3, every series is a best-of-five elimination match, and the season ends on Saturday, November 14 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Here is everything you need to follow the Worlds 2026 knockout stage: dates, start times, free streams, format and the storylines worth your attention.
Schedule and Start Times
The quarterfinals and semifinals are played at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. All of them share the same start time: 5 PM ET, 11 PM CET, 7 AM KST the following morning.
| Date | Stage | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, November 3 | Quarterfinal | Top Esports vs Invictus Gaming |
| Wednesday, November 4 | Quarterfinal | Gen.G vs LYON |
| Thursday, November 5 | Quarterfinal | Dplus KIA vs Bilibili Gaming |
| Friday, November 6 | Quarterfinal | T1 vs Karmine Corp |
| Saturday, November 7 | Semifinal 1 | Winners to be decided |
| Sunday, November 8 | Semifinal 2 | Winners to be decided |
| Saturday, November 14 | Grand Final | Barclays Center, Brooklyn |
The grand final starts earlier than the rest of the bracket: 2 PM ET, 8 PM CET, or 4 AM KST on Sunday, November 15. Fans in Korea and China will need an alarm, while European viewers get a comfortable Saturday evening slot.
Note that the United States switched back from daylight saving time on November 1, so the CET conversions above already account for the change. If you want every match in your own time zone without doing the math, the League of Legends hub on Esport Agenda shows the schedule in local time.
Where to Watch for Free
Every match is free to watch. The official English broadcast runs on:
- Twitch: riotgames
- YouTube: lolesports
- Kick: riotgames
Riot also licenses regional broadcasts in many languages, including LCK channels for Korean viewers, the LPL platforms in China, CBLOL for Brazil, and co-streams such as OTP in French and Tolkin in German. Whichever feed you pick, the games are the same, so choose the casting style you enjoy most.
Format
The knockout stage is an eight-team single-elimination bracket. Every series, from the quarterfinals to the grand final, is a best-of-five played with Fearless Draft, which means a champion picked in one game of a series cannot be picked again by either team in that series. Deep champion pools matter more than ever, and long series often end with teams on comfort picks they would never show in a best-of-one.
For the quarterfinals, the team with the better Swiss record gets first selection in game one. For the semifinals and the final, it comes down to a coin flip. The two teams that went 3-0 in the Swiss Stage, Gen.G and Dplus KIA, were placed on opposite sides of the bracket, so they can only meet in Brooklyn.
The prize pool is $5,000,000, and the champion takes 20 percent of it.
How the Field Took Shape
The Swiss Stage in Allen ran from October 23 to 31 and did not go to script.
- Gen.G and Dplus KIA went through undefeated at 3-0.
- T1, Top Esports and Invictus Gaming advanced at 3-1.
- Bilibili Gaming, Karmine Corp and LYON survived at 3-2.
The biggest casualties were Hanwha Life Esports, the MSI 2026 champions, and G2 Esports, Europe's first seed. Anyone's Legend, the LPL's top seed, also went home early. That leaves the LCK and the LPL with three teams each, plus one survivor from Europe and one from North America.
Teams to Watch
Gen.G. Kiin, Canyon, Chovy, Ruler and Duro arrive as the LCK's first seed with a perfect Swiss record and the clearest path to the final on paper. LYON will need their best series of the year to stop them.
T1. Faker and company are the defending champions and have made a habit of peaking in November. Their opponent, Karmine Corp, started all the way back in the Play-In and have nothing to lose. It is the most lopsided matchup on paper and the one with the most upset appeal.
Dplus KIA vs Bilibili Gaming. ShowMaker's side were the other 3-0 team, but Bilibili Gaming, with Knight and Viper, have the firepower to drag any series to five games.
Top Esports vs Invictus Gaming. The opening quarterfinal is an all-LPL affair, which guarantees China at least one semifinalist. TheShy and Rookie against JackeyLove and Creme is a strong way to start the week.
LYON. The last North American team standing gets to play in front of a home crowd, and every game they win at Worlds pushes the region's story forward.
Set Up Reminders on Esport Agenda
With matches at 11 PM in Europe and 7 AM in Korea, it is easy to miss one. Open the League of Legends page on Esport Agenda, find the Worlds matches and turn on notifications to get a nudge before each series starts. If you like calling results, our picks page lets you predict every series and compare with friends.
The Bottom Line
Eight teams, seven best-of-five series and one trophy at the Barclays Center. The quarterfinals start on Tuesday, November 3 at 5 PM ET, the semifinals close the weekend in Texas, and the champion is crowned in Brooklyn on November 14. Keep the Worlds 2026 schedule handy and you will not miss a game.