The League of Legends event at the Esports World Cup 2026 has its final eight, with the quarterfinals set to begin on 17 July.
The first day of the League of Legends (LoL) tournament at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has wrapped up, as the 16 participating teams were cut down to the final eight after a double-elimination Group Stage. 
Bilibili Gaming, 
T1 , 
AG.AL, 
Dplus KIA, 
Gen.G, 
Karmine Corp, 
Hanwha Life Esports and 
JD Gaming emerged from their respective groups to advance to the Playoffs.
Here's a recap of the Group Stage.
Bilibili Gaming and T1 advance from Group A
Group A quickly turned into a battle between Bilibili Gaming and T1. Both teams opened their campaigns with victories over 
Movistar KOI and 
GAM Esports respectively, setting up an early upper bracket final between the tournament favourites. BLG came out on top with a 1-0 victory to become the first team from the group to secure a Playoffs berth.
That left T1 with one final chance in the lower bracket, where the defending Esports World Cup champions swept GAM 2-0 after the LCP representatives had earlier eliminated Movistar KOI 2-1 to stay alive. The victory secured T1 the second qualification spot from Group A, while GAM Esports and Movistar KOI were eliminated.
AG.AL and Dplus survive Group B
AG.AL continued their strong form in Group B after edging out Dplus 1-0 in their opening match before denying 
G2 Esports a direct route to the Playoffs with another 1-0 victory in the upper bracket final.
Dplus, however, refused to let their tournament end there. The LCK side first swept aside 
FURIA Esports 2-0 before eliminating G2 2-0 in the lower bracket final to snatch the group's remaining Playoffs berth. The results saw G2 Esports bow out in ninth to 12th place, while FURIA exited the tournament in 13th to 16th.
Gen.G and Karmine Corp come out on top of Group C
Gen.G looked in complete control throughout Group C. After defeating Karmine Corp in their opening series, the LCK champions followed it up with another 1-0 victory over 
Sentinels in the upper bracket final to comfortably secure a place in the Playoffs.
KC's journey was far from over, however. The European side battled through the lower bracket, surviving a 2-1 series against 
Team Secret Whales before ending Sentinels' run with a 2-0 victory to punch their ticket to the Playoffs. Meanwhile, Team Secret Whales finished in 13th to 16th place, while Sentinels exited in ninth to 12th.
Hanwha Life Esports and JD Gaming advance from Group D
Hanwha Life Esports wasted little time asserting themselves in Group D. HLE opened the tournament with a 1-0 victory over 
MIBR.LOS before defeating JDG by the same score in the upper bracket final to become the group's first Playoffs qualifier.
JDG kept their composure after the defeat, overcoming MIBR.LOS 2-0 in the lower bracket final after the Brazilian side had earlier eliminated 
LYON 2-0 to stay alive. The win secured JDG the final Playoffs berth from Group D. With this result, LYON finished in 13th to 16th place, while MIBR.LOS bowed out in ninth to 12th.
Bilibili Gaming, T1, AG.AL, Dplus, Gen.G, Karmine Corp, Hanwha Life Esports and JD Gaming will return on 17 July for the League of Legends Esports World Cup 2026 Playoffs, where the tournament enters its single-elimination quarterfinal stage.
Meanwhile, G2 Esports, Sentinels, GAM Esports and MIBR.LOS leave the tournament in ninth to 12th place, with each team taking home US$55,000 in prize money. FURIA, Team Secret, Movistar KOI and LYON finish in 13th to 16th place, earning US$30,000 each. will return on 17 July for the League of Legends Esports World Cup 2026 Playoffs, where the tournament enters its single-elimination quarterfinal stage.
Meanwhile, G2 Esports, Sentinels, GAM Esports and MIBR.LOS leave the tournament in ninth to 12th place, with each team taking home US$55,000 in prize money. FURIA, Team Secret, Movistar KOI and LYON finish in 13th to 16th place, earning US$30,000 each.
