League of Legends officials have released the 2026 World Championship Viewing Guide, announcing this year's theme, match schedule, and format details.
It is understood that this year's League of Legends S16 World Championship theme is "THIS IS OUR MOMENT," with participating teams from six major regions heading to the United States to compete for the Summoner's Cup.
From the LPL region, AL, BLG, TES, and IG will represent the region at the S16 World Championship.
This year's World Championship will be divided into three stages: Play-In, Swiss Stage, and Knockout Stage.
As the tournament is held in the United States, viewing times for domestic audiences are not ideal, with most matches taking place in the early hours of Beijing Time, while some knockout stage matches start at 6:00 AM.
The detailed schedule is as follows:
Play-In Stage (Bo5) – Los Angeles
All matches start at 2:00 AM Beijing Time:
October 16
October 17
October 18
October 19
Swiss Stage (Bo1, Bo3) – Allen, Texas
October 24 – 1:00 AM Beijing Time
October 25 – 1:00 AM Beijing Time
October 26 – 1:00 AM Beijing Time
October 27 – 1:00 AM Beijing Time
October 29 – 4:00 AM Beijing Time
October 30 – 4:00 AM Beijing Time
October 31 – 4:00 AM Beijing Time
November 1 – 1:00 AM Beijing Time
Knockout Stage (Bo5) – Allen, Texas and Brooklyn, New York City
Both the Quarterfinals and Semifinals start at 6:00 AM Beijing Time:
November 4 – Quarterfinals
November 5 – Quarterfinals
November 6 – Quarterfinals
November 7 – Quarterfinals
November 8 – Semifinals
November 9 – Semifinals
November 15 – Grand Finals, Brooklyn, New York City, starting at 3:00 AM Beijing Time.
Regarding the format, this year's Play-In Stage features 4 teams competing in a Bo5 double-elimination bracket. Matchups are determined by random draw, meaning any two teams could potentially face each other.
The Play-In draw will take place on October 10 after the CBLOL finals. The participating teams are the CBLOL region's 2nd seed, KC, C9, and MVK.
The subsequent Swiss Stage consists of 5 rounds. Teams need to achieve at least 3 wins to advance to the Knockout Stage, while accumulating 3 losses results in elimination.
The matchups for Round 1 of the Swiss Stage will be determined by random draw on October 19 after the Play-In Stage concludes.
From Round 2 to Round 5, teams will be randomly matched against opponents with identical records; for example, teams with a 1-0 record will face other 1-0 teams.
Notably, during the Swiss Stage, no team will face the same opponent twice. However, starting from Round 2, teams from the same region may face each other directly.
After the Swiss Stage concludes, the 8 advancing teams will participate in the Quarterfinals draw.
Specifically, the two teams advancing with a 3-0 record will each be randomly matched against one of the two teams advancing with a 3-2 record, while the remaining four teams will have their Quarterfinal matchups determined by random draw.