This would have marked ZUIAN's debut at Worlds.
Top Esports (TES) could head into the League of Legends World Championship 2026 without 
Cheng “ZUIAN” Zihao after the Chinese top laner failed two interviews for a United States visa.
The LPL team announced on Tuesday (6 October) that ZUIAN is currently unable to travel with the roster, with veteran Bai “369” Jia-Hao set to step back into the starting lineup. TES is still trying to secure a third visa interview for ZUIAN before its Worlds campaign begins. The 2026 League of Legends World Championship runs from 15 October to 14 November, with Top Esports entering the Swiss Stage in Allen, Texas, on 23 October.
Why could ZUIAN miss Worlds 2026?
ZUIAN's visa situation puts his first Worlds appearance in doubt after a breakout year with TES. He moved into the starting lineup earlier this season, helped the team reach the LPL Split 2 Grand Final, and made his international debut at MSI before TES qualified for Worlds as China's third seed.
The team did not disclose why his visa applications were denied. With a third interview still being pursued, ZUIAN has not been ruled out completely, but TES is already preparing 369 to play in his place.
It's not just ZUIAN who is having visa troubles. According to a report from popular LPL content creator Summoner Park, two of Top Esports' coaches have also run into visa issues. Coach He "BoBo" Wen-Bo has also reportedly failed his second interview, while Li "Leo" Yu-Ming is about to take his second interview on Thursday (8 October). Top Esports has not announced if both coaches will be temporarily replaced.
369 set to return for Top Esports at Worlds 2026
369 has not played a competitive match since being replaced by ZUIAN earlier this year, but TES is bringing back one of the most experienced top laners in the LPL.
He was part of 
JD Gaming's 2023 roster that went to Worlds with the Golden Road still alive after winning both LPL splits and MSI. 
T1 ended that run in the semifinals with a 3-1 win.
369 faced T1 at Worlds again in 2025, this time with Top Esports, and was knocked out in the semifinals after a 3-0 sweep. If TES and T1 meet again this year, 369 would have a chance at revenge after T1 ended both of his previous Worlds runs.
Visa issues have threatened Worlds rosters before. Ahead of Worlds 2022 in North America, GAM Esports and Saigon Buffalo both faced delays and initial denials before eventually securing visas for their full lineups.
For TES, the next few weeks will be split between getting 369 back into competitive form and continuing efforts to get ZUIAN to the United States.
