KPL Grand Finals 2026 knockout draw: JDG meet TTG in Changsha opener on 27 October
Eight teams start the Honor of Kings KPL Grand Finals knockout stage in Changsha on 27 October, with best-of-seven matches and a 14 November final in Chengdu.
The Honor of Kings KPL Grand Finals 2026 move into the knockout stage this week. Eight teams will play best-of-seven, double-elimination matches in Changsha from Tuesday 27 October. In the opening quarterfinal, Beijing JDG play Guangzhou TTG at 6:00pm, which is 6:00pm in Malaysia too. The tournament has a prize pool of around $10 million and finishes with a grand final in Chengdu on 14 November.
The quarterfinal draw
The draw kept the two top seeds, KSG (Kuaishou Gaming) and Beijing JDG, in opposite halves of the bracket, so they cannot meet before the final.
Top half
- Tue 27 Oct, 6:00pm: Beijing JDG vs Guangzhou TTG
- Wed 28 Oct, 6:00pm: Chongqing Wolves vs Changsha TES.A
Bottom half
- Thu 29 Oct, 6:00pm: KSG vs Beijing WB
- Fri 30 Oct, 6:00pm: Shanghai EDG.M vs Hangzhou LGD.NBW
Wednesday's match is a home game for TES.A, who play in Changsha. The venue is the Seven Color Box arena in the city's Kaifu district.
How the eight qualified
The Challenge Stage ran in Guangzhou from 2 to 18 October with 12 teams in two groups of six. KSG and JDG both went 5-1 to top the Masters Group, with TTG and WB on 4-2. EDward Gaming won the Elite Group at 5-1. Those five teams went straight into the knockout stage.
The other three places came from the play-in, also held in Guangzhou, from 20 to 22 October. Wolves had finished fifth in the Masters Group despite a 4-2 record, and beat Douyu Gaming 4-1. TOP Esports Armor beat AG Super Play 4-2, which knocked AG out of the tournament. LGD NBW swept Hero JiuJing 4-0 for the last place. Rogue Warriors had already gone out after losing all six group matches.
Format: one loss is not the end
Every team in the knockout stage gets a second chance, because the bracket is double elimination. Quarterfinal winners go on in the upper bracket, and losers move to the lower bracket. The upper and lower brackets are played in Changsha until 8 November, and the two teams left then meet in Chengdu on 14 November. All matches are best-of-seven, so the stage rewards teams with deep hero pools and the ability to adjust their drafts over a long series.
JDG and TTG starting the stage against each other means a strong team will be in the lower bracket after the first night.
Why it matters in Southeast Asia
The KPL is the top professional Honor of Kings league, and the strategies its teams use tend to spread to other regions, including Southeast Asia. China and Malaysia share the same time, so every quarterfinal starts at 6:00pm Malaysia time, which suits weekday viewing.
Key takeaways
- The KPL Grand Finals knockout stage runs from 27 October to 8 November in Changsha.
- The quarterfinals are JDG vs TTG, Wolves vs TES.A, KSG vs WB and EDG.M vs LGD.NBW.
- All matches are best-of-seven in a double-elimination bracket.
- The grand final is in Chengdu on 14 November, and the prize pool is about $10 million.
FAQ
What time do the KPL knockout matches start in Malaysia? Each quarterfinal starts at 6:00pm Malaysia time. China and Malaysia are both on UTC+8.
Does a quarterfinal loss mean elimination? No. The knockout stage is double elimination, so quarterfinal losers move into the lower bracket.
Where is the KPL Grand Finals 2026 final? In Chengdu on 14 November 2026.
Sources: Esports.gg, Insider Gaming, SMZDM