New Play-In Format at Worlds 2026: A Survival Battle for Emerging Regions

Riot Games has just announced a new format for the Play-In stage of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship, a major shift from previous years. Accordingly, the Play-In will no longer be a match between the 4th seeds of LPL and LCK as in 2026, but will become a mini-tournament with four teams from LEC, LCS, CBLoL, and LCP, competing for a single spot in the main group stage. This format was officially announced on August 31, opening a new chapter for developing regions. What makes this new format special? All matches at the Play-In are Bo5 – a best-of-five series. The four teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket, meaning each team can afford one loss before being eliminated. However, only one team will advance to the main group stage, creating immense pressure in every series. Compared to 2026, when the Play-In was a single Bo5 between the 4th seeds of LPL and LCK to determine the 17th team in the group stage, this year the path to the main stage has become much more grueling. The four participating teams come from different qualification paths. LEC (Europe) sends its 3rd-place team – the loser of the lower-bracket final in the summer split. LCS (North America) sends its 3rd-place team – the team that did not make the finals. CBLoL (Brazil) sends its runner-up, while LCP (Asia-Pacific region) sends its 3rd-place team, which is MVK Esports. Notably, LPL and LCK – the two strongest regions – are not participating in this year's Play-In; instead, they advance directly to the main group stage. This shows Riot's intention to give more international exposure to mid-tier and emerging regions. MVK Esports is the representative of LCP – a newly formed region from the merger of PCS, VCS, LJL, and LCO. They secured their Play-In spot after a dramatic journey in LCP Split 3. MVK lost their first playoff match, then staged a comeback in the lower bracket by defeating GAM Esports 3-2, before losing the lower-bracket final to CFO 1-3. Despite losing that final, they still secured LCP's 3rd seed due to overall results. This is MVK's first World Championship appearance, a historic milestone for the team. MVK's expected roster includes Kratos (top), Gury (jungle), Chika (mid), Harky (ADC), and SiuLoong (support), led by head coach Eucliwood. This is a roster without major superstars, but they have shown strong cohesion and resilience under pressure by coming through the lower bracket to qualify. However, their international experience is almost zero, which could be a significant weakness when facing LEC and LCS teams accustomed to the international stage. The Play-In schedule is expected to run from September 19 to October 10. This creates a disparity in preparation time among teams. MVK secured their spot early, giving them over a month to practice and study opponents, while the CBLoL representative – Brazil's runner-up – only had their spot confirmed on October 10, close to the competition date. This difference in preparation time could significantly impact team performance. One notable point is that Riot has not yet announced the specific first-round matchups for the Play-In. If the pairings are randomly drawn without seeding based on regional strength, a 'group of death' could emerge from the first round, causing a strong team to be eliminated early. This would reduce the quality of the main group stage, as only one team advances. According to expert analysis, removing LPL and LCK from the Play-In is Riot's acknowledgment that mid-tier regions need real opportunities to progress. In the past, LPL and LCK's 4th seeds often dominated smaller region teams, creating one-sided matches. This new format gives LEC, LCS, CBLoL, and LCP a more level playing field to compete for a spot in the main stage. For MVK, the path to the main stage is narrow. They need to pull off an upset against one of the LEC, LCS, or CBLoL representatives. Their strength lies in their ability to withstand pressure and stage comebacks, as proven in their domestic league. However, they need to significantly improve their early-game and mid-game handling to compete with teams that have deeper tactical libraries. The new format also brings significant commercial opportunities for the participating regions. With more broadcast matches, teams like MVK can attract more sponsors and increase their brand value. Especially, the presence of CBLoL – a region with a passionate fanbase in Brazil – will boost viewership for the tournament. In summary, the new Play-In format at Worlds 2026 is a bold move by Riot to create a fairer playing field for developing regions. With only one spot into the main stage, every match becomes do-or-die. MVK Esports, making their Worlds debut, will be one of the most watched teams. Can they create a miracle? The answer will come this October.