The first matchday of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship has concluded at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles. Following the opening matches, the French squad Karmine Corp and the Vietnamese team MVK Esports secured victories, sending Cloud9 and FURIA to the lower bracket in the battle for the sole ticket to the Swiss Stage.
The first series of the day was a highly anticipated clash between the Western regions: EMEA's third seed (Karmine Corp) faced off against North America's second seed (Cloud9). Although statistics at Riot tournaments this season heavily favored North America, the European squad managed to spoil the host's party. After a confident performance by Edward "Tactical" Ra and Robert "Blaber" Huang in the first three games, Karmine Corp shifted their game plan. Thanks to the 2026 LEC Summer Split MVP Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert and Alan "Busio" Cwalina, the French seized the initiative in the bottom lane. This allowed them to snatch a 3-2 victory, marking EMEA's first triumph over NA this season.
In the second match, the underestimated third LCP seed, Vietnam's MVK Esports, met the favorites of the series — the Brazilian CBLoL's second seed, FURIA. Despite the Brazilians' status and the unquestioned skill of their star jungler Pedro "Tatu" Seixas, the Vietnamese team showcased an aggressive playstyle. The main star of the series was MVK's jungler Lương "Gury" Hải Long. After a slow start, he found a key pick in the first game and subsequently demonstrated a level worthy of the glory days of his head coach Lê Quang "SofM" Duy. This enabled MVK Esports to sweep FURIA with a decisive 3-0 score.
Ahead in the tournament are crucial matches that will determine the first team to be eliminated and the first qualifier.
In the elimination match, Cloud9 will face FURIA. This will be a rematch from this year's America's Cup, where the Brazilians held an 8-0 record against North American teams, securing five of those wins directly against Cloud9. The tournament hosts will have to find a way to overcome this trend to keep their Championship hopes alive.
In the final series of the day for a spot in the Swiss Stage, MVK and Karmine Corp will clash. The teams have not yet met this season: the French will need to find an answer to Gury's aggression, while the Vietnamese squad, consisting mostly of rookies, will have to rely on their mechanical prowess.
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