LoL Worlds 2026 begins on October 15 with Cloud9 vs Karmine Corp and FURIA vs MVK Esports in the opening Play-In matches of the tournament.
The 2026 League of Legends World Championship begins on Thursday, October 15, with the first two Play-In fixtures, when Cloud9 face off against Karmine Corp and FURIA take on MVK Esports.
Esportbet brings you free League of Legends predictions and betting picks for the two games, with odds from the best bookmakers for LoL Worlds betting.
Karmine Corp have had a solid run through the 2026 season, with runner-up finishes at LEC Versus, LEC Spring, and the Esports World Cup.
They ended the season with a bronze medal from LEC Summer after a 0-3 loss against Movistar KOI, ending their shaky run through the playoffs.
Karmine Corp have looked like the best European team this year, but only during the regular season, as they have tended to underperform in the knockout stages.
More notably, KC have been very inefficient against G2 Esports, who have been their kryptonite.
Take away those losses, and KC are a serious powerhouse.
Cloud9 had an outstanding run through the summer split and seem to have started peaking at the right time.
Even though they failed to overcome the high-flying Team Liquid, Cloud9 have shown good things, and they look poised to make some noise at LoL Worlds if the meta fits.
Qualitatively, Karmine Corp are the stronger team, but if we see a more early-game-focused meta, which seems to be developing, Cloud9 can surprise.
Cloud9 +1.5 maps
MVK Esports, formerly Vikings, barely qualified for LoL Worlds.
They finished LCP Split 1 in seventh, Split 2 in fourth, and Split 3 in third, securing their ticket by the skin of their teeth.
Despite qualifying, MVK Esports managed a sub-50% win rate in the summer split, in a relatively easy region, which does not inspire much confidence.
FURIA have yet to amaze on international stages, but they have some experience now, and despite lacking individual quality, they have shown some good fundamentals in the past.
This comes as no surprise, as Circuit Brazilian League of Legends (CBLOL) teams tend to be well coached, which often helps them hang around with other Western teams.
Both teams are a bit of an enigma, but on paper, FURIA appear notably stronger, so it comes as no shock that the top LoL bookmakers have them listed as favourites.
MVK Esports were not great domestically, and until they prove something, they deserve the tag of 2026 LoL Worlds’ weakest squad.
FURIA -1.5 maps
Mark Prezelj
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.
