The Esports World Cup 2026 League of Legends tournament runs from July 15 to 19 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, bringing sixteen of the world's top teams together for a share of a two million dollar prize pool. Here is how the format breaks down.
The competition splits into two stages: a group stage followed by playoffs. In the group stage, the sixteen teams are divided into four groups of four, each played as a GSL-style double-elimination bracket. Most matches are BO1 (best-of-one), while elimination matches are BO3. The top two teams from each group move on to the playoffs.
The playoffs are a single-elimination bracket. Every match there is a BO3, except the grand final, which is a BO5.
Seeding is designed to keep the groups balanced. The teams are drawn from four seed pools, with one rule above all: each region can have only one team per group. Pool 1 brings together the LCK, LCP, LEC and LPL champions — Hanwha Life Esports, , and .
