Worlds 2026 Pick'Ems: Swiss picks lock on Oct. 23 before the 1 p.m. ET opener, plus how scoring works

Swiss Stage picks for Worlds 2026 lock on Friday, Oct. 23, before the first match at 1 p.m. ET. Here’s when each round of Pick’Ems locks, how Swiss scoring works and which teams you’re picking from.

When do Worlds 2026 Pick’Ems lock?

Swiss Stage picks open on Oct. 18 and lock before the first Swiss match on Friday, Oct. 23, which starts at 1 p.m. ET, or 10 a.m. PT, at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. Until then, you can change your picks as often as you like.

Picks for Crystal Ball and the Play-In opened on Oct. 10 at 4 p.m. PT, and Play-In picks locked before the first match on Oct. 15. Knockout picks open on Oct. 31, after the last Swiss day, and lock before the first quarterfinal on Nov. 3. Scores are final after the championship match at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Nov. 14.

How Swiss Stage Pick’Ems work

Riot’s Pick’Ems site asks you to pick eight of the 16 Swiss teams to reach the quarterfinals, the same number that advance. Your first three picks carry extra weight: each one earns bonus points if that team advances with the matching record, 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2. A team needs three match wins to advance, and three losses sends it home.

The Swiss Stage opens with best-of-one games on Oct. 23, and the first best-of-three series come on Oct. 25. Our Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage page explains the format, the draw tiers and the start times in each time zone.

Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage teams and Round 1

Karmine Corp took the only open spot by beating MVK Esports 3-0 in the last Play-In series in Los Angeles on Oct. 18. It joins Gen.G, Anyone’s Legend, Team Liquid Alienware, G2 Esports, LOS, Team Secret Whales, Hanwha Life Esports, Bilibili Gaming, LYON, Movistar KOI, T1, Top Esports, CTBC Flying Oyster, Invictus Gaming and Dplus Kia.

Round 1 is all best-of-one on Friday, Oct. 23, one game an hour: Gen.G vs. Invictus Gaming at 1 p.m. ET, Team Liquid Alienware vs. CTBC Flying Oyster at 2, Anyone’s Legend vs. Karmine Corp at 3, G2 Esports vs. Dplus Kia at 4, Hanwha Life Esports vs. Top Esports at 5, LOS vs. T1 at 6, Team Secret Whales vs. LYON at 7 and Bilibili Gaming vs. Movistar KOI at 8 p.m. ET. Swiss picks lock before the first of those games.

T1 has won the last three World Championships, and Hanwha Life Esports won MSI 2026. Our Worlds 2026 schedule page has every result.

Pick’Ems and Crystal Ball rewards

Riot says Pick’Ems and Crystal Ball come back for Worlds 2026 with all-new rewards. Crystal Ball is scored after Worlds ends, and performance-based tier rewards arrive on or around Nov. 14. For Pick’Ems, Riot aims to deliver rewards within 48 hours of the final.

Who can play Worlds 2026 Pick’Ems?

You need a Riot account to play and to receive rewards. Pick’Ems isn’t available in a few regions, including Cuba, North Korea and Myanmar, or where a local publisher runs League of Legends, such as China. Riot also says reward eligibility can vary by region because of local rules.

This page is updated as soon as Riot draws the next Swiss round or opens knockout picks.