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Worlds 2026 reaches the last eight: Karmine Corp face T1 in the quarterfinals

Riot’s knockout bracket pairs KC with T1 and Gen.G with LYON. Best-of-five quarterfinals begin November 3 at 22:00 UTC, with no second chance after a defeat.

CS
ClutchScope editorial
Published 3 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Fact-checked 3 Nov 2026 · Times stated with their timezone
AI ink-and-gold illustration of League-inspired minion chess pieces in a Rift courtyard facing a championship cup beyond a stone gate
Original AI illustration by ClutchScope; a symbolic knockout contest, not the official bracket, a match image or an exact trophy reproduction.
In this article
  1. The four quarterfinal matchups
  2. Best-of-five from here
  3. Knockout Pick’Em closes before the first series

Karmine Corp will face T1 and Gen.G will play LYON in the Worlds 2026 quarterfinals, as the tournament moves from Swiss qualification into its eight-team knockout bracket. The first quarterfinal begins today, November 3, at 22:00 UTC—16:00 CST in Allen, Texas, and 23:00 CET in Stockholm.

Riot’s live bracket also pairs Dplus KIA with Bilibili Gaming and Top Esports with Invictus Gaming. Four best-of-five series across November 3–6 will decide the semifinalists.

The four quarterfinal matchups

  • Dplus KIA vs Bilibili Gaming.
  • Karmine Corp vs T1.
  • Top Esports vs Invictus Gaming.
  • Gen.G vs LYON.

That leaves three LCK teams, three LPL teams, one LEC team and one LCS team in contention. Top Esports–Invictus Gaming guarantees an LPL semifinalist, while Karmine Corp and LYON must each beat an LCK opponent to keep their runs alive.

Best-of-five from here

The Swiss stage ended on October 31. Dplus KIA and Gen.G finished it unbeaten at 3–0. Karmine Corp reached the last eight by beating Movistar KOI 2–0 in the final Swiss round; LYON defeated LOS 2–1, and Bilibili Gaming eliminated Hanwha Life Esports 2–0.

The quarterfinals, semifinals and final are best-of-five series.

There is no lower-bracket route back after a knockout defeat. A quarterfinal winner advances to the semifinals on November 7–8. Those rounds also begin at 22:00 UTC / 16:00 CST / 23:00 CET, according to Riot’s event primer.

The final moves to Brooklyn, New York, on November 14, starting at 19:00 UTC / 14:00 EST / 20:00 CET. US daylight saving time ended on November 1, so the Texas rounds now use CST, not the CDT offset used during Swiss.

Knockout Pick’Em closes before the first series

Riot says Knockout Stage picks lock before the first knockout match on November 3. With the opening series scheduled for 22:00 UTC, this is the last afternoon in Europe to finish that bracket. Use LoL Esports Pick’Em for the active submission window.

For attending fans, the venue bag and re-entry guide covers the change from Allen to Brooklyn. The separate Fan Fest at Pier 36 runs November 12–14 in Lower Manhattan.