The draw for the Worlds 2026 Play-In stage took place on October 10. Four teams will compete for the final vacant spot in the Swiss Stage. The Play-In stage itself will be held from October 15 to 18 in Los Angeles.
The bracket was finalized following FURIA's defeat against LOS (2:3) in the CBLOL finals. This result granted LOS a direct ticket to the Swiss Stage, leaving FURIA to fight for the last remaining ticket. The other participants represent different qualification paths: Karmine Corp is the third seed from the LEC, Cloud9 Kia from the LCS, MVK Esports from the LCP, and FURIA enters as the second seed from CBLOL.
The tournament will feature a Double Elimination bracket, where all matches will be played in a best-of-five format (first to three wins). This format gives teams a margin of error, but a second loss will mean elimination and a final 17th–19th place finish in the tournament.
The team that advances to the final qualification match through the upper bracket will gain a significant tactical advantage. This is the right of double selection in the first game, which allows them to independently choose the map side and the champion pick order.
The first-round draw was conducted without predetermined seeding or regional restrictions. The exact schedule for the opening matches has already been confirmed:
- October 15 at 21:00 EEST — FURIA will face MVK Esports.
- October 16 at 02:00 EEST — Cloud9 Kia will play against Karmine Corp.
The winner of the Play-In stage will join 15 other teams in the Swiss Stage, which kicks off on October 23 in Allen, Texas. To advance to the playoffs, participants will need to secure three victories.
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