Who will win LoL Worlds 2026? Predictions for the World Championship
The League of Legends World Championship starts on October 15 for four weeks of esports in North America. The 19 best teams in LoL compete across three stages, until only one is left to crown as the 2026 World Champion. So, who will win LoL Worlds 2026?
Who will win LoL Worlds 2026?
Only two regions have won World Championship titles since esports became more established globally in 2013. South Korea leads with ten trophies, and China follows with three. Every year, the LCK and LPL are the two favorite regions, and 2026 is no exception.
Among them, some teams standout, and we have dark horses as well. Here are our candidates for who will win LoL Worlds 2026.
Gen.G
In 2024 and 2025, Gen.G was the obvious best team in the world. However, this team has never managed to reach a Worlds finals, always going out in the quarter or semifinals. Despite how good they were all year long, they met the same end in 2024 and 2025, respectively falling to the hands of Bilibili Gaming and KT Rolster.
In Summer 2026, they’ve been just as good once again. It’s less of a headline this time around because they haven’t had the year-long explosive dominance that they showed in 2025. Most notably, they fell to G2 Esports at First Stand, failed to qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational, and lost against Dplus KIA at the Esports World Cup.
It’s hard to see a team as dominant when they haven’t won any of three international titles this year. However, their Summer split was different and is worth paying attention to.
Gen.G’s defeat at First Stand sent them through an identity crisis and led them to find their playstyle again. Now, they’ve found it, and they’re coming back to Worlds as a more aggressive team that remains as calculated as before while being way more proactive. LoL betting sites have Gen.G as the frontrunner for who will win LoL Worlds 2026, and for good reason.
T1
Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games
If T1 were a normal team, they shouldn’t be in the discussion for who will win LoL Worlds 2026. Time and time again, they’ve shown their weaknesses this year. With throwing abilities rivaling those of KT Rolster and Dplus KIA, T1 isn’t the towering, unstoppable team that they once were.
At MSI, the level of play they displayed when BLG and G2 beat them wasn’t that of a World contender. At EWC, their loss against Karmine Corp was somehow even worse.
But the six-time World Champions aren’t a normal team. T1 was far from the favorite when they entered Worlds 2023, 2024, and 2025, yet they won all three. Why would 2026 be any different?
It’s a fact that T1 is currently looking like their worst self in a while. The last time they showed up to Worlds off the back of a slowly declining strength was in 2017. There, they eventually lost in the grand finals against Samsung Galaxy, the team that would later become Gen.G.
2026 T1 is blood-crazed. Surprisingly given the team’s history, the team will pick fights left and right. This works most of the time by regular League standards. Other times, their aggression is the very reason they lose, but they are also being backed by traders at LoL Worlds prediction markets.
Bilibili Gaming
Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games
As the LPL’s would-be first seed, BLG is another frontrunner as to who will win LoL Worlds 2026. BLG has the possible best mid laner at the tournament, and the best carry top laner. Alongside them, their jungler and support press leads like no other. If they get the ball going, they’re unstoppable – and they’re gonna do their best to ensure they do.
Bilibili Gaming’s main weakness is themselves. If they’re in poor form for a series, their level is much, much lower. So long as this doesn’t happen, they’ll be competition as fierce as the top LCK teams.
The dark horses
Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games
Three teams at this tournament are unlikely to grab the trophy, but they can cause serious trouble for who will win LoL Worlds 2026. G2 Esports, LYON, and Team Secret Whales.
Each of them is either inconsistent, or has insufficient bases. Yet each of them has also proven that they can do damage to top teams at this tournament. LYON has beaten G2, TSW has eliminated Top Esports, and G2 has taken out Korean opponents on four different occasions this year.
It would take a miracle for any of them to win Worlds (albeit a smaller one for G2), but they are teams to watch for. At least one of them will make it to the top eight in the quest for the LoL Worlds prize pool.
Featured Image Credit: Cesar Galeao / Riot Games
Wasif Ahmed is the Lead Esports Editor for WIN.gg. He has been covering esports for nearly eight years, although his gaming journey started much earlier, when he was just four years old and was introduced to Road Rash on a dusty PC. Hit him up on X to talk about esports, why partnership models are the best fit for esports games, or if Halo 7 has finally been announced.
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