Cloud9 face Team Liquid in the LCS 2026 Summer Playoffs upper bracket final, with C9 backed as underdogs.
After showing some signs of life in the first two rounds of League of Legends Championship Series 2026 Summer Playoffs, Cloud9 will take on Team Liquid on Sunday, September 27, in the upper bracket final.
Cloud9 kicked off the playoffs with a 3-0 sweep of Shopify Rebellion, which was expected.
But then they produced a stunner against LYON in the upper bracket final, beating the regular season champions 3-1.
It was an interesting game from Cloud9, who showed off their ability to play a more late-game-focused composition.
Instead of opting for aggressive early game, which has been their trademark, Cloud9 took a more composed approach and outmanoeuvred LYON with superior macro.
It was a very strong performance from Cloud9, who have been playing well for a few weeks now, and they look more than ready to make some noise on Sunday.
While Cloud9 have been improving, Team Liquid have been very strong this entire split.
While Liquid struggled against LYON, who proved to be their kryptonite, Team Liquid have been the most consistent team in the LCS, dominating anyone not named LYON.
Liquid handled Cloud9 with relative ease last time out, so it is not too crazy to believe that they can do it again.
But with Cloud9’s resurgence and the fact that they have shown they have no more pressure to perform, it is fair to view this game closer to a 50/50 than what the latest odds suggest.
The best LoL bookmakers have Cloud9 listed as +126 underdogs, which is a fair offer.
Liquid should be favoured, but they are not an appealing pick at -169.49.
Cloud9 to win
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.
