MVK draw FURIA with one Worlds Swiss place left for four teams
The Play-In draw gives the LCP representative a Brazilian opponent, while Cloud9 face Karmine Corp.
MVK Esports will begin their Worlds 2026 Play-In campaign against FURIA. The draw also pairs Cloud9 Kia with Karmine Corp, leaving four teams chasing the final place in the Swiss Stage.
Riot lists MVK among the LCP representatives alongside Team Secret Whales and CTBC Flying Oyster. For MVK, reaching Worlds still comes with an extra hurdle: winning the four-team Play-In before joining the Swiss field.
Winning the opener will not secure qualification
The Play-In uses best-of-five series and double elimination. A team can recover from one series defeat, but winning its first match does not immediately award the single Swiss place. The bracket must still produce one overall winner.
The stage runs from 15 to 18 October in Los Angeles. Riot lists an 11am PDT daily start, which is 2am the following day in Malaysia. The opening day therefore begins early on 16 October MYT; individual series times should be checked against the live schedule.
A demanding next step awaits the winner
The Play-In winner enters Swiss in Pool 4. The published pools pair Pool 4 with Pool 1 for the opening round, so the team that survives this bracket will move straight into another difficult draw. No Play-In result is confirmed yet.
Sources
- Riot Games: Worlds format, LCP representatives and daily start times
- Sheep Esports: completed Play-In draw and single Swiss place
- Insider Gaming: Play-In field and Swiss draw pools
Checked on 13 October 2026, Malaysia time. The draw is confirmed; all Play-In matches are still pending. US event dates are distinguished from Malaysia viewing dates.