The LEC continue to shake things up at Worlds 2026,
The LEC have pulled off another massive upset at the 2026 League of Legends World Championship, this time with Europe's third seed, 
Karmine Corp (KC), taking down the LPL's first seed, 
Anyone's Legend (AL), in their Swiss Stage opening match.
Much like their fellow LEC representatives 
Movistar KOI, who defeated 
Bilibili Gaming in another opening-day upset, KC entered the matchup as the underdogs. Although the European squad had already proven themselves on the international stage with a runner-up finish at the Esports World Cup 2026, they faced a considerably tougher challenge against China's top seed.
KC had also taken a longer road to reach the Swiss Stage. The team survived a gruelling five-game series against Cloud9 KIA in the Play-In Stage before sweeping MVK Esports in the upper bracket final. They then defeated MVK Esports again in the final qualification series to claim the last remaining Swiss Stage spot.
However, Anyone's Legend were a different beast altogether. Led by an experienced roster, AL had established themselves as one of the LPL's strongest teams. Their impressive run culminated in a 3-1 victory over BLG in the LPL Split 3 grand final, earning them the region's first seed at Worlds 2026.
With both teams carrying momentum from their respective domestic and international campaigns, the matchup promised to be an exciting contest. However, few would have expected KC to emerge victorious against the LPL champions.
How did Karmine Corp defeat Anyone's Legend at Worlds 2026?
Unlike some of the more one-sided matchups on the opening day, KC and AL were locked in a closely contested battle for much of the game. Neither team could establish a commanding advantage, with both sides trading kills and finding opportunities across the map to keep the gold difference relatively even.
Every time one team appeared to gain the upper hand, the other found a way to respond. This back-and-forth continued well into the late game, with both sides looking for an opportunity to finally break the deadlock.
The turning point came during a crucial confrontation around the blue buff, where AL committed to a fight involving their Neeko. Unfortunately for the LPL representatives, the engagement did not go their way, allowing KC to capitalise on their opponents' positioning and finally open up a sizeable gold lead.
From that point onwards, KC began taking control of the game, with bot laner 
Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert delivering a standout performance on Kalista. Caliste proved incredibly difficult for AL to pin down, combining Kalista's mobility with a tankier item build and the protection provided by support 
Alan “Busio” Cwalina's Renata Glasc. With Caliste constantly repositioning during fights, AL struggled to find a reliable way to shut down KC's main damage dealer.
Meanwhile, top laner 
Kim “Canna" Chang-dong was equally instrumental on Jax, disrupting AL's attempts to engage and making it increasingly difficult for the Chinese squad to take favourable fights. Between Canna's frontline presence and Caliste's relentless damage output, KC gradually tightened their grip on the match.
What had initially been an incredibly even contest eventually turned into a convincing victory for the European squad. After 33 minutes, KC destroyed AL's Nexus with a commanding 12-4 kill lead, securing another major upset for the LEC on the opening day of the Swiss Stage.
The victory gives KC a 1-0 start to their Swiss Stage campaign, an impressive achievement for a team that had to fight through the Play-In Stage just to reach this point. Having already survived three best-of-five series at Worlds 2026, KC are now just two match wins away from advancing to the Knockout Stage.
Meanwhile, Anyone's Legend find themselves in an unexpected 0-1 position despite entering the tournament as the LPL's top seed. The Chinese squad will now need to regroup ahead of their next matchup, with their opening defeat leaving them with less room for error in the race to secure three victories.
With both Movistar KOI and Karmine Corp defeating LPL opponents on the opening day, the LEC have already made a strong statement at Worlds 2026. Whether the European representatives can maintain that momentum against the tournament's other contenders will be put to the test in the upcoming rounds.
