League of Legends Esports World Cup 2026: Schedule, format, teams and how to watch

Sixteen of the world's best teams will compete for a share of the $2 million prize pool, while valuable Club Championship points are also up for grabs in one of the most prestigious events of the esports calendar.

Here's everything you need to know.

When is League of Legends at the Esports World Cup 2026?

League of Legends at the Esports World Cup takes place from July 16-20, 2026, with the Group Stage followed by the Playoffs and Grand Final.

League of Legends Esports World Cup 2026 format

Sixteen teams from six regions have qualified for the tournament.

The competition begins with a double-elimination Group Stage, split into four groups of four teams.

Opening matches and winners' matches are played as best-of-one, while elimination and decider matches are best-of-three.

The top two teams from each group advance to the single-elimination Playoffs. Every Playoff match is best-of-three, before the tournament concludes with a best-of-five Grand Final to crown the champions.

League of Legends Esports World Cup 2026 teams

The 16 qualified teams are:

• G2 Esports
• FURIA
• AG.AL
• Dplus KIA
• Team Secret
• Sentinels
• Gen.G
• Karmine Corp
• T1
• Bilibili Gaming
• GAM Esports
• Movistar KOI
• Hanwha Life Esports
• MIBR.LOS
• LYON
• JD Gaming

Group A

G2 Esports, FURIA, AG.AL and Dplus KIA make up what many consider the tournament's toughest group.

G2 arrive in Paris full of confidence after an impressive run at MSI 2026, including a statement victory over T1 that ended the Korean giants' run of international top-four finishes. However, both AG.AL and Dplus KIA are genuine title contenders, while FURIA have the quality to punish any slip-up in a group where every match matters.

Group B

Defending Esports World Cup champions Gen.G headline Group B alongside Team Secret, Sentinels and home favourites Karmine Corp.

One of the standout opening matches sees Gen.G take on Karmine Corp, with the French organisation expected to enjoy huge support from the Paris crowd. Although Gen.G and Karmine Corp are favourites on paper, both Team Secret and Sentinels have the talent to challenge for a Playoff place.

Group C

Group C features one of the biggest rivalries in League of Legends history.

T1 and Bilibili Gaming could meet again if both win their opening matches, setting up another chapter in a rivalry that has shaped recent international competition. T1 famously defeated BLG to win the 2024 World Championship, but BLG gained revenge by knocking T1 out of MSI 2026.

They are joined by GAM Esports and Movistar KOI in a group packed with quality.

Group D

Fresh from winning MSI 2026, Hanwha Life Esports enter the tournament among the favourites to lift the trophy.

However, LYON have already shown they belong among the elite after defeating G2 at MSI and pushing Hanwha Life Esports to five games in the Lower Bracket Final. Alongside JD Gaming and MIBR.LOS, Group D could produce some of the biggest surprises of the tournament.

Club Championship implications

League of Legends is one of the most valuable events in the Esports World Cup Club Championship.

With organisations battling across multiple titles throughout the summer, strong performances in League of Legends could prove decisive in the race for the overall Club Championship crown.

Clubs such as T1, Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports and G2 Esports all have the opportunity to add significant points to their season totals as the standings begin to take shape.

How to watch League of Legends at the Esports World Cup

The Esports World Cup 2026 is available to watch live and for free on DAZN throughout the tournament.

Fans can stream every tournament on the DAZN app across a wide range of devices, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles, or watch through any web browser at DAZN.com.

Coverage is available globally, excluding China, South Korea, the CIS region, Ukraine, Malaysia, Hungary and Finland. Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 are also unavailable in Peru.

To watch live follow these steps:

Download the DAZN app on your preferred device or visit DAZN.com.
Sign up for a free DAZN account, or log in if you already have one.
Search for Esports World Cup or browse the esports section.
Select the tournament you want to watch and start streaming live.