Worlds 2026: Five storylines to follow

Worlds 2026 start on October 15 in Los Angeles, and the tournament arrives with more open questions than usual. Old teammates turned rivals, stars still waiting for a first title, a champion back after a year away — here are the five storylines to follow over the next month.

Zeus and Gumayusi, against the house they built

Choi "Zeus" Woo-je and Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong won Worlds together with T1 in 2023 and 2024. Gumayusi added a third title in 2025, a year after Zeus had left for Hanwha Life Esports. He followed him there last winter. Both now chase the Summoner's Cup in orange, against the club that made them.

The reunion has already paid off. Hanwha Life Esports won MSI 2026 in Daejeon, 3-2 against Bilibili Gaming, with Zeus named Finals MVP. In the LCK playoffs they met T1 twice and won twice — a 3-2 reverse sweep in round two, then 3-1 in the lower bracket final. One team still stand in their way at home. Gen.G beat them 3-1 in the upper bracket final and 3-1 again in the Grand Final.

Chovy and Knight, kings without crowns

When it comes to Worlds, Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon still lives in Faker's shadow. He has never played a final. He arrives once again as one of the best players in the tournament, after a Gen.G year less dominant than the last. They finished it at full speed and back at their level — a second straight LCK title, Korea's first seed, and the season MVP award for their mid laner.

Zhuo "Knight" Ding is widely regarded as the best Chinese mid laner in history, and Worlds is the only Riot trophy he lacks. He already owns MSI and First Stand, won in March with Bilibili Gaming. Through the first months of the year he was considered the most dominant mid laner in the world.

Bilibili Gaming have since been weakened by internal problems and a series of changes. After winning the first two LPL splits, they lost the Split 3 final 3-1 to Anyone's Legend and enter Worlds as China's second seed. The experience around Knight should still make him a credible world champion in waiting.

ShowMaker, back where he belongs

Heo "ShowMaker" Su won Worlds in 2020. Last autumn he watched from home, as Dplus Kia missed the tournament for the first time since 2019. He returns as the veteran of a roster with next to no Worlds experience and talent to spare.

They showed it in Paris in July, winning the Esports World Cup past Bilibili Gaming, Gen.G and Karmine Corp. Qualification was narrower: a comeback from 0-2 down against BNK FearX, then a 3-1 win over KT Rolster for Korea's fourth seed.

During a rapid-fire interview with RFT.GG at that event, ShowMaker was asked whether he would win Worlds again before the end of his career. He did not hesitate.

Yes.

Caps, still carrying the West's hopes?

Rasmus "Caps" Winther played the Worlds final in 2019 and a semifinal in 2020. He has not been that close since. This year G2 Esports won all three LEC titles without losing a playoff series — 20 for the club, 18 for Caps, now a Hall of Legends inductee.

Their international year is less even: a First Stand final after sweeping Gen.G 3-0, then fourth at MSI and 9th-12th at the Esports World Cup.

G2 Esports are not the only Western hope. LYON finished third at MSI after sweeping G2 Esports 3-0 and taking Hanwha Life Esports to five games in the semifinals — the LCS's first top-three international finish since 2019. Team Liquid then beat them 3-1 in the LCS Summer final on October 4 and arrive on home soil as North America's first seed, in the best form of their year. Karmine Corp and bot laner Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert, meanwhile, play their first Worlds after years of waiting — they start in the Play-In as Europe's third seed.

T1 and the seventh star

T1 have won the last three World Championships and six in total. A seventh would also be a fourth in a row, in Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok's 11th Worlds. Riot's music video for the tournament ends on that image: Faker in front of his trophies, eyes on the one empty place.

The roster changed again last winter. A year after Doran took over from Zeus in the top lane, Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan replaced Gumayusi in the bot lane. The season since has been uneven. T1 lost to G2 Esports at MSI and went out of the LCK playoffs against Hanwha Life Esports, short of a domestic final they have not reached since Spring 2024. They qualify as Korea's third seed. A year ago they arrived as fourth seed, started in the Play-In and beat KT Rolster 3-2 in the final.