Which Teams Should Be Panicking Ahead of LoL Worlds 2026?

Ben Boland Published 19/08/2026

The 2026 League of Legends World Championship is fast approaching, with the tournament beginning on 15 October. 19 of the best teams that esports has to offer will do battle in North America for a shot at the Summoner’s Cup. For teams like Bilibili Gaming and Hanwha Life Esports, their fates are already sealed without stepping foot on the Rift again, but for the rest of the teams, they will have to work for it. And with limited spots in the biggest event of the year, every regular season series matters. A few poor results could run the risk of missing out on the event altogether.

So which teams from the LCK, LEC, and LCS should be panicking? Here we will look at one team from each of the biggest regions, highlighting the teams whose fans should be worrying about their hopes of qualifying for Worlds.

FlyQuest

Image credit: FlyQuest

FlyQuest are starting to feel the pressure after dropping their third series of the Summer Split, losing 2-0 to rivals Cloud9. This felt like a must-win series for FlyQuest — C9 are their direct rivals for that third and final spot at Worlds, barring a total collapse from Team Liquid or LYON.

Granted, FlyQuest have had the hardest start to the split, facing the top three teams from Spring, but it’s their performances on the rift that leave little to be desired. Gakgos and Massu have certainly taken a step back in their performances, with the former struggling to find any footing. Gakgos has only 13 kills to his name, which is the lowest of any player in his role. As for Massu, his laning with Cryogen has been a sore spot for the FLY bottom lane in recent months.

T1

Image credit: T1

It wouldn’t be LoL Worlds season without the possibility of esports’ biggest organisation not making it to the dance. Alas, T1 find themselves in a position where their ticket to North America is less secure than it was earlier in the year. T1 shocked the community once again on 8 August, announcing that superstar Jungler Oner will be subbing out for T1A Jungler Painter. Little explanation has been given, but the move has certainly stirred up drama.

Since the announcement, T1 has received a high volume of negative comments from their fanbase. They do not believe the organization’s statement that this move is meant to bring better shot-calling and communication from Painter. T1, going into the last week of rounds 3-4, are on a three-game losing streak, with Dplus KIA, Gen.G, and Hanwha Life all getting the better of the reigning champs. Will Painter stay in, or will Oner return full-time to launch T1 back into Worlds form?

MKOI

If you’re a fan of MKOI, you should be starting to sweat a little bit. The wheels look to be falling off at MKOI, and their Worlds hopes hang in the balance currently. Fortunately for them, they should make the playoffs given they play the 8th- and 9th-best teams in the league, but they are far from the team that was a top-three team in the LEC.

The team hasn’t struggled in the early game, and on the contrary, they have one of the better early games in the league. Their problem lies in executing come the mid-game; with a rating of minus 14.1, the third-lowest in the league, according to Oracle’s Elixir. With a few teams playing better, and starting from the losers’ bracket, MKOI are in an uphill battle to go to Worlds.

Featured image credit: Riot Games

Ben Boland

About Ben Boland

Ben is the Lead Editor at Win.gg, bringing a decade of iGaming industry experience having worked for both the operator and affiliation sides. With a formal journalism background, he is responsible for ensuring that every piece of content that we publish is relevant, accurate and well-written. In his own time, he enjoys playing video games and especially enjoys Rockstar titles, considering Red Dead Redemption 2 the finest title ever made. He has also spent a lot of time playing GTA V over the years and is fascinated by how streaming is changing the landscape of the industry.

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