Worlds 2026: T1 and BLG move to 2-1 as Team Secret Whales and Anyone's Legend exit Swiss Stage

Round 3 of the League of Legends World Championship 2026 Swiss Stage is complete, and it ended badly for two of the event's top regional seeds. T1 and Bilibili Gaming (BLG) both won to climb to 2-1, but Team Secret Whales, the LCP's first seed from Vietnam, and Anyone's Legend, the LPL's first seed, were both knocked out after losing all three of their matches. With two teams already into the quarter-finals and two now gone, Round 4 will decide much of the remaining picture when play resumes after a one-day break.

T1 recover against CTBC Flying Oyster

T1 arrived at 1-1 after an opening win over LOS and a Round 2 loss to Dplus KIA, so the meeting with CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO), the LCP's second seed, carried real weight. According to Korean outlet Sports Kyunghyang, support Keria gave T1 an early edge, and Faker's Galio ultimate added a kill in a top-lane skirmish. CFO hit back hard in the mid-game, but T1 turned a large teamfight around the 24-minute mark and closed out at about 27 minutes.

The win leaves T1, winners of the last three world titles, one victory from the knockout stage. CFO drop to 1-2 and now face an elimination match.

BLG also moved to 2-1 by beating Karmine Corp, the LEC side who came through the Play-In stage. Karmine Corp fall to 1-2.

Elimination day: Vietnam's run ends, LPL top seed out

The two elimination series both finished 2-0. Brazil's LOS swept Team Secret Whales, controlling both games on gold, with the second game ending at about 37 minutes. Team Secret Whales, carrying Vietnam's hopes as LCP champions, leave the tournament without a win, a disappointing finish for one of the strongest Southeast Asian sides of the year.

Team Liquid Alienware then beat Anyone's Legend 2-0. The second game was a long, even fight lasting around 47 minutes, with kills level at 18 each, before Team Liquid closed it. For Anyone's Legend, an 0-3 exit is a rare low for an LPL top seed, and it caps a difficult event for China after the region's teams went winless on the opening day.

Standings after Round 3

• 3-0 (quarter-finals): Gen.G, Dplus KIA
• 2-1: T1, Bilibili Gaming, Top Esports, Invictus Gaming, Movistar KOI, LYON
• 1-2: CTBC Flying Oyster, Karmine Corp, Hanwha Life Esports, G2 Esports, LOS, Team Liquid Alienware
• 0-3 (eliminated): Team Secret Whales, Anyone's Legend

Under the Swiss format, three wins send a team to the knockout stage and three losses end its run. Rounds 1 and 2 were best-of-one, while the later rounds are best-of-three.

Round 4 matchups

The six 2-1 teams play for three more quarter-final places, while the six 1-2 teams play to stay alive. The pairings are:

• Advancement matches: Top Esports vs Bilibili Gaming, Invictus Gaming vs LYON, Movistar KOI vs T1
• Elimination matches: Karmine Corp vs CTBC Flying Oyster, Team Liquid Alienware vs LOS, Hanwha Life Esports vs G2 Esports

Round 4 runs from 28 to 30 October, local schedule, with two series a day. Because the event is being staged in North America, Malaysian fans should expect the matches to fall in the late night and early morning hours locally. T1's match with Movistar KOI, who opened with wins over Bilibili Gaming and CTBC Flying Oyster, is set for the second day of the round. Round 5, the last chance for teams at 2-2, follows on 31 October. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are scheduled from 3 to 8 November, with the final on 14 November at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Key takeaways

• T1 and BLG won in Round 3 to reach 2-1, one win from the quarter-finals.
• Team Secret Whales (Vietnam) and Anyone's Legend (China) were eliminated at 0-3.
• LOS and Team Liquid Alienware both earned their first wins with 2-0 sweeps.
• Gen.G and Dplus KIA are already through; three more spots are on offer in Round 4.

FAQ

Who has qualified for the Worlds 2026 quarter-finals so far? Gen.G and Dplus KIA, both with 3-0 records. Six more places will be decided in Rounds 4 and 5.

Who does T1 play next at Worlds 2026? T1 face Movistar KOI in a best-of-three advancement match in Round 4. A win sends them to the knockout stage.

Why were Team Secret Whales eliminated? They lost all three Swiss matches, the last a 0-2 defeat to LOS, and three losses means elimination.

Sources: Sports Kyunghyang, GosuGamers, Rift Daily, ESTNN