Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage ends with three decisive matches
Every final-day series is an elimination match
Each remaining team has a 2-2 record. A third win sends a team into the knockout stage, while a third defeat ends its tournament.
Movistar KOI against Karmine Corp begins at 18:00 CET. LOS against LYON follows at 21:00, and Hanwha Life Esports against Bilibili Gaming starts at 00:00 CET on November 1. All three series are best of three, so each team must win two games.
Five teams have already reached the quarterfinals
Gen.G, Dplus KIA, T1, Invictus Gaming and TOP Esports have secured places in the knockout stage. The three matches on the final day will complete the group of eight qualifiers.
Team Liquid were eliminated after a 2-1 defeat by LOS, while G2 lost 2-0 to Hanwha Life Esports. Anyone’s Legend ended the Swiss Stage with a 0-3 record. The final day therefore contains no match between teams that have already qualified or been eliminated.
| Match | Start time |
|---|---|
| Movistar KOI vs Karmine Corp | 31 October, 18:00 CET |
| LOS vs LYON | 31 October, 21:00 CET |
| Hanwha Life Esports vs Bilibili Gaming | 1 November, 00:00 CET |
| Series format | Best of three, Fearless Draft |
| Quarterfinal draw | After the final series |
Fearless Draft changes every game in a series
The decisive matches are best-of-three series played with Fearless Draft. Once a champion has been selected in a series, that team cannot choose the same champion again in a later game of that series.
The rule rewards teams with deeper champion pools. Coaches must prepare more than one plan for each role, and a successful first-game composition cannot simply be repeated. A three-game series can remove up to ten champions from one team’s later choices.
The quarterfinal draw follows the final series
The two teams that qualified with 3-0 records will each be drawn against a 3-2 team. The other four qualifiers will be paired in the remaining two quarterfinals.
The playoffs begin on November 3 in Allen. Every knockout match is a best-of-five, so the format changes immediately after the Swiss Stage. The final will be played in Brooklyn on November 14.
