Outright
Pick the winner of the event before or during it. Prices are revised after every Swiss round and every knockout series.
So what: bigger payout but a bigger margin, and your stake is locked until the trophy is lifted.
Tournament · League of Legends
LoL Worlds betting: 2026 format, odds and every champion
The 2026 League of Legends World Championship runs from 15 October to 14 November in the United States. The play-in is in Los Angeles, the Swiss stage and the knockouts are in Allen, Texas, and the final is at Barclays Center in New York. Nineteen teams take part and T1 arrive as three-time defending champions.
This page covers what changes the betting at Worlds: best-of-one games early in the Swiss stage, best-of-five series in every knockout round, how outright odds shrink through the bracket and who has won every final since 2011.
19 teams, 15 Oct–14 Nov 2026
Every knockout series BO5
Example odds labelled
18+ only
By
Liam Fletcher
Updated Oct 8, 2026
- Dates
- 15 Oct–14 Nov 2026, three US cities
- Teams
- 19 4 start in the play-in
- Holders
- T1 won 2023, 2024 and 2025
- Most titles
- T1 · 6 three as SK Telecom T1
- Knockouts
- BO5 quarter-finals to final
Wikipedia: 2026 League of Legends World Championship; League of Legends World Championship (results by year).
Short answer
How do you bet on LoL Worlds 2026?
Bookmakers price each Worlds series as a match-winner market, usually with map handicaps, total maps and in-game props such as first blood or first dragon. The Swiss stage opens with best-of-one games, where upsets are most likely; from the quarter-finals every series is best-of-five, which favours the stronger team. Outright markets on the champion run alongside the whole event.
Play-in
4 teams
double elimination, BO5
Swiss stage
16 teams
3 wins to advance, 23–31 Oct
Knockouts
8 teams
single elimination, BO5
Final venue
New York
Barclays Center
Format
Worlds 2026 format and schedule
The match length changes three times in one event. BO5 in the play-in, BO1 and BO3 in the Swiss stage, BO5 again from the quarter-finals.
| Stage | Dates | Where | Teams | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-in | From 15 Oct | Los Angeles, Riot Games Arena | 4 | BO5, double elimination |
| Swiss stage | 23–31 Oct | Allen, Texas | 16 | BO1 in rounds 1–2 and at 1–1, otherwise BO3 |
| Quarter-finals and semi-finals | November | Allen, Texas | 8 | BO5, single elimination |
| Final | By 14 Nov | New York, Barclays Center | 2 | BO5 |
Wikipedia: 2026 League of Legends World Championship; League of Legends World Championship (results by year).
Outright vs match
Three ways to bet on Worlds
Match winner
Pick the winner of one series. Swiss-stage best-of-ones are the most volatile prices of the event; knockout best-of-fives are the most predictable.
So what: the lowest margin on most books, and you can react to form, patches and roster news.
Specials and props
Winning region, total maps in the final, first blood or first dragon in a game, and tournament MVP where a book offers it.
So what: thin markets with wide margins; compare two or three books before you bet.
Odds through the bracket Example odds
How outright odds shrink as a team advances
A worked example: a team with a 60% chance in every series and an example outright overround of 25%. It starts at the knockouts, because the Swiss stage is not a straight elimination bracket.
Quarter-final
4.63
fair odds · 3 series to win
3.70
example book odds
Semi-final
2.78
fair odds · 2 series to win
2.22
example book odds
Final
1.67
fair odds · 1 series to win
1.33
example book odds
Champion
Won
title chance 100%
How it is worked out
Title chance = chance per series to the power of the series still to win. With 3 series left the chance is 21.6%, fair odds 4.63. Each series win removes one factor.
What it means: a price of 3.70 before the playoffs only pays if the team wins every series, so compare it with backing the team series by series.
All three knockout rounds are best-of-five. A team that wins 60% of games wins about 68% of best-of-five series, against 65% of best-of-threes.
Worked example, not a forecast. Book odds = fair odds ÷ (1 + overround).
Example odds Example odds
What a Worlds outright market looks like
Example odds, not live prices. The sum of the implied probabilities shows the bookmaker's margin.
| Team | Example odds | Implied | Fair odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen.G | 3.75 | 26.7% | 4.50 |
| Hanwha Life Esports | 4.50 | 22.2% | 5.39 |
| T1 | 5.00 | 20.0% | 5.99 |
| Bilibili Gaming | 7.00 | 14.3% | 8.39 |
| Anyone's Legend | 8.00 | 12.5% | 9.59 |
| Top Esports | 12.00 | 8.3% | 14.39 |
| G2 Esports | 21.00 | 4.8% | 25.18 |
| Any other team | 9.00 | 11.1% | 10.79 |
| Sum | 119.9% | margin 16.6% |
Reading an outright market
Add up 1 ÷ odds for every runner. Here the sum is 119.9%, so the book keeps about 16.6% of outright stakes on average.
What it means: outrights suit a strong view on one team. The names show how the table works; they are not predictions. All seven named teams qualified for the 2026 Swiss stage.
Example odds set by esportranker. Not live, not a forecast.
Past winners
Every League of Legends world champion
T1 have won six of the 15 finals. Three of them came as SK Telecom T1 (2013, 2015, 2016) and three in a row from 2023 to 2025. No other team name appears twice.
| Year | City | Champion | Runner-up | Final | Prize pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Chengdu | T1 | KT Rolster | 3–2 | |
| 2024 | London | T1 | Bilibili Gaming | 3–2 | |
| 2023 | Seoul | T1 | Weibo Gaming | 3–0 | |
| 2022 | San Francisco | DRX | T1 | 3–2 | |
| 2021 | Reykjavík | Edward Gaming | DWG KIA | 3–2 | |
| 2020 | Shanghai | Damwon Gaming | Suning | 3–1 | |
| 2019 | Paris | FunPlus Phoenix | G2 Esports | 3–0 | |
| 2018 | Incheon | Invictus Gaming | Fnatic | 3–0 | |
| 2017 | Beijing | Samsung Galaxy | SK Telecom T1 | 3–0 | |
| 2016 | Los Angeles | SK Telecom T1 | Samsung Galaxy | 3–2 | |
| 2015 | Berlin | SK Telecom T1 | KOO Tigers | 3–1 | |
| 2014 | Seoul | Samsung White | Royal Club | 3–1 | |
| 2013 | Los Angeles | SK Telecom T1 | Royal Club | 3–0 | |
| 2012 | Los Angeles | Taipei Assassins | Azubu Frost | 3–1 | |
| 2011 | Jönköping | Fnatic | Against All Authority | 2–1 |
Wikipedia: League of Legends World Championship, results by year (final location, champion, score, runner-up).
LoL Worlds betting FAQ
When and where is Worlds 2026?
From 15 October to 14 November 2026 in the United States: the play-in at Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, the Swiss stage, quarter-finals and semi-finals at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, and the final at Barclays Center in New York.
Who won Worlds 2025?
T1 beat KT Rolster 3–2 in the final in Chengdu. It was their third title in a row and their sixth in total.
Which teams play Worlds 2026?
From the LCK: Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports, T1 and Dplus KIA. From the LPL: Anyone's Legend, Bilibili Gaming, Top Esports and Invictus Gaming. From the LEC: G2 Esports, Movistar KOI and Karmine Corp. From the LCS: Team Liquid Alienware, LYON and Cloud9 KIA. From the LCP: Team Secret Whales, CTBC Flying Oyster and MVK Esports. The CBLOL sends two teams, one of them through the play-in.
Are Worlds matches best-of-five?
Only some. The play-in and all knockout series are best-of-five. In the Swiss stage the first two rounds and the 1–1 matches are best-of-one, the rest best-of-three.
How much does a best-of-five favour the better team?
A team that wins 60% of single games wins about 64.8% of best-of-three series and about 68.3% of best-of-five series. That is why best-of-one Swiss games are where underdog bets land most often.
What does fearless draft change for betting?
Riot expects to use fearless draft at Worlds 2026: a champion played in a series cannot be picked again by either team in that series. Late games in a long series move away from comfort picks, which makes game four and five prices harder to read.
Where do I compare League of Legends bookmakers?
Our League of Legends betting page ranks the bookmakers for LoL, and the LCS page covers the North American league that sends three teams to Worlds.
Is it legal to bet on Worlds?
That depends on where you live, not on the tournament. You must be 18 or older (21 in some places), and you should only use bookmakers licensed for your country. Our country guides explain the rules market by market.
Responsible gambling
Bet only if you are 18+ and it stays fun
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