The Worlds 2026 Play-In draw took place on Saturday, October 10, right after the CBLOL Finals. It pairs FURIA with MVK Esports and Cloud9 with Karmine Corp, two best-of-five series for a single spot in the Swiss Stage.
The two opening series
- FURIA (CBLOL second seed) vs MVK Esports (LCP third seed): October 15 at 8:00 PM CEST (18:00 UTC).
- Cloud9 (LCS third seed) vs Karmine Corp (LEC third seed): October 16 at 1:00 AM CEST (23:00 UTC on October 15).
How the Play-Ins work
The four teams play a double-elimination bracket, every series best-of-five, from October 15 to 18 at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles. The draw was fully random, with no seeding pots or regional restrictions. Only one team qualifies for the Swiss Stage. The first Swiss round is drawn on October 18, once the Play-Ins are over.
Why FURIA is in the Play-Ins
LOS beat FURIA 3-2 in the CBLOL Finals on October 10 and took Brazil's first seed, which goes straight to the Swiss Stage. FURIA, the CBLOL's second seed, therefore go through the Play-Ins.
Key takeaways
The North America vs Europe clash between Cloud9 and Karmine Corp opens the tournament, and every best-of-five can flip the bracket. To find the champion that fits you before the matches begin, take the RiftMatch quiz.