League of Legends World Championship
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League of Legends 2026 World Championship Betting Markets & Tips
The crowning event of the League of Legends Esports calendar gets underway this October. The League of Legends World Championships, better known as Worlds, brings together 19 of the world's best teams. These teams are all competing for a share of the League of Legends Worlds prize pool, worth $5 million.
Stake offers betting on all matches of the League of Legends 2026 World Championship. Odds are available for match winner, tournament winner, and live betting markets. You can live stream all the action as well, meaning you never have to miss out on what’s happening during the tournament at Stake Sportsbook.
History of the League of Legends World Championship
League of Legends was first released in 2009, and after it built a strong player community, developers Riot Games set up the first World Championship tournament in 2011. The Season 1 Championship was held in Jönköping, Sweden, and saw players bring their own computers. DreamHack hosted it, and it featured 8 teams. These teams qualified from regional tournaments in North America, Europe, Singapore and the Philippines.
Following the success of the Season 1 World Championship, which offered a $100,000 prize pool, Riot has held the Worlds every year since. The number of teams taking part has grown, as has the total prize money. For example, in 2025, the total prize pool has been worth $5 million, making it one of the most valuable Esports tournaments.
Today, teams qualify from South Korea (LCK), China (LPL), EMEA (LEC) and Asia-Pacific (LCP) regional leagues. In total, there have now been 15 LoL Worlds, with 10 different winning teams. T1 are the most successful team, with 6 wins, including the 3 most recent titles.
Format and schedule of the League of Legends World Championship
The 2026 LoL Worlds features 3 stages: The play-in stage, Swiss stage and knockout stage.
15-18 October - Play-In
Four teams enter the play-in stage to earn the last remaining spot in the Swiss stage. This stage uses a double-elimination bracket, with matches played to the best of 5 games. In this stage, the right of first selection is decided by draw order for upper- or lower-bracket matches. For the qualifying match, the winner of the upper bracket final has the right of first selection.
23-31 October - Swiss stage
16 teams compete in a 5-round Swiss format during this stage. Teams that win 3 matches advance to the knockout stage, while teams that lose 3 matches are eliminated from the tournament. Elimination and advancement matches are played to the best of 3 games, while all other matches are decided in a single game. In game 1, the team with the higher regional seed gets first selection, or the draw order if the regional seed is the same.
3-14 November - Knockout stage
Eight teams from the Swiss stage qualify for the knockout rounds. A single-elimination bracket is used, with all matches played to the best of 5 games. In the quarterfinals, the team with the better Swiss stage record gets first selection. For the semifinals and finals, it’s determined by a coin flip.
Which teams qualified for the 2026 League of Legends World Championship?
Swiss stage teams
The following LoL Worlds teams have qualified directly to the Swiss stage:
Anyone’s Legend - LPL Split 3 champions
Bilibili Gaming - LPL championship points
CTBC Flying Oyster - LCP Split 3 runners-up
Dplus - LCK 4th
Gen.G - LCK 1st-2nd
G2 Esports - LEC Summer 1st-2nd
Hanwha Life - MSI 2026 winner
T1 - LCK 1st-3rd - 5 time Worlds champions
Secret Whales - LCP Split 3 winner
T1 is the most successful team in LoL history, having won Worlds 6 times, including the last 3 years. Starring Faker, they consistently perform well under pressure on the biggest stage.
Gen.G are one of Korea’s strongest contenders, known for disciplined macro play and strong laning fundamentals.
G2 remains Europe’s most successful international LoL organization with their aggressive style that often creates value opportunities in underdog betting markets.
Play-in teams
These Worlds teams have to compete in the play-in stage to advance to the Swiss stage:
MVK Esports - LCP championship points
Karmine Corp - LEC Summer 1st-3rd
League of Legends betting markets 2026/27
Stake offers a comprehensive Esports betting experience, with a wide range of betting markets to choose from. Some of the most popular LoL betting options include:
Match winner - Twoway
This is a standard moneyline bet on which team you think will win the match.
Map handicap
For games that are played over multiple maps, you can bet on either team to win with a map handicap or advantage applied. For example, if you bet on a team with -1.5, they need to win by 2 maps or more.
Total maps
The total maps betting market allows you to predict the over/under line for the total maps played in the match. For example, you can bet on under 2.5 if you think a Bo3 match will end 2-0.
Win at least one map
Bet on either team to win at least one map during the match. This can potentially offer value on underdog teams. For example, backing a team that isn’t strong enough to win the series but could win a map.
Correct score
This betting market lets you predict the final score of the match. For example, you can bet that the match will end 3-2.
Props
Prop bets in LoL matches include betting on which team will get First Blood, First Tower or First Baron. You can also bet on multikills and other match events.
Parlays
Parlays are bets that combine multiple outcomes into one. On LoL Worlds matches, you can combine multiple match winner markets across the tournament. Same game multibets are also available, where you combine multiple bets within the same match.
Outrights
Outright betting markets are also offered on the League of Legends World Championship 2026. You can bet on the tournament winning team, or individual awards like the play-in, Swiss stage, knockout stage and finals MVP.
How to bet on the LoL World Championship?
Log in to your Stake account and check your available balance.
Open your Stake wallet to make a deposit if needed, using an accepted local currency or cryptocurrency.
Search for the team you want to bet on, or use the menu to find Esports > League of Legends > League of Legends World Championship to see all live and upcoming matches available to bet on.
You can switch to the outrights tab to see the available outright betting markets.
Select any match to see all available betting markets.
Choose a bet to add to your bet slip, then enter your stake and confirm to place the bet.
How to watch League of Legends live streams and place bets?
All matches of the LoL Worlds are available to watch live when you log in to your Stake account. You can enjoy our free live streams by opening a match page while it’s in-play and selecting the live stream icon. You can follow the action and enjoy live betting too. Take advantage of the odds as they shift in real time, reacting to eliminations, tower kills and more.
League of Legends betting tips
Understand the game before betting - Make sure you know how League of Legends works before placing your bets. Read our LoL betting guide and MOBA betting guide for more details, and we also recommend watching some League of Legends Championship live streams.
Pay attention to recent form - Team reputation matters, but look beyond the big names and focus on teams that are performing well. Look out for recent roster changes too, such as Anyone’s Legend replacing Flandre with Breathe.
Follow the draft - The Fearless Draft system is in effect during the Worlds, which means that champions can’t be used twice during a series. This means that teams with a versatile champion pool will have better success over a series. Follow the draft before each match to see which champions are selected.
Don’t overlook the ADC - Look at both teams’ bottom lakers, including their skill, champion pools and recent performances. A strong bot lane and skilled ADC can make all the difference in a close series.
Check champion class history - Look at the champion classes each player performs best on. Compare past results when playing marksmen, mages, tanks and other classes. Consider whether the current meta and team composition favour their strengths.
Deposit and withdrawal methods for betting on LoL
Stake supports a wide range of payment methods, letting you sign up and deposit with an available local currency, or add funds using your preferred cryptocurrency.
Withdrawals can be made using a method you’ve previously made a deposit with. In addition, you’ll need to complete the KYC verification process before requesting a withdrawal. This is as simple as verifying your phone and email address before uploading an ID.
Stake promotions and responsible betting online
While enjoying League of Legends at Stake, you can also enjoy our betting promotions. Take a look at the latest offers available and join the VIP Club if you’d like to earn regular rewards.
As you place bets, it’s important to stay in control of your spending and avoid betting more than you can afford to lose. We’ve written up these responsible betting guidelines for you to follow, ensuring you stay Stake Smart.