Worlds 2026 semi-final: Gen.G vs Invictus Gaming, Malaysia time and what to know

The first semi-final of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship is set: LCK top seed Gen.G will face China's Invictus Gaming (IG) at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. The best-of-five starts at 4pm local time on Saturday 7 November, which is 6am on Sunday 8 November in Malaysia (MYT). A place in the grand final at New York's Barclays Center is at stake.

How they got here

Gen.G have been the most consistent team of the event so far. They went 3-0 in the Swiss stage, beating IG in the opening round, then Hanwha Life Esports, and then coming from a game down to beat LYON 2-1. In the quarter-final rematch with LYON, they were even more emphatic, sweeping the LCS side 3-0. Strafe's recap highlighted Kiin's Olaf and Canyon's Qiyana turning game one, Ruler's Ashe in game two, and Chovy's Taliyah setting up the series-clinching game three.

IG took the harder road. After losing that first-round Bo1 to Gen.G, they won three straight Swiss matches against Team Secret Whales, Hanwha Life and LYON to finish 3-1. In the all-LPL quarter-final, they beat Top Esports 3-1. According to Gamelevate, jungler Wei was decisive in games three and four, while veterans TheShy, Rookie and marksman JiaQi also stood out.

History on the line for both teams

The semi-final carries weight for both clubs. Gen.G are chasing their first Worlds grand final appearance under the Gen.G name, according to GosuGamers, having finished third-fourth in four of their previous five Worlds campaigns. Reaching the final would end a long run of near-misses for a roster that has dominated domestically.

IG, world champions in 2018, are back in the final four for the first time since 2019, a remarkable turnaround from a 17th-place finish at last year's Worlds. Both semi-finalists have already secured at least US$400,000 in prize money.

The series will again use Fearless Draft, meaning any champion picked by either team cannot be used again by either side for the rest of the series. In a potential five-game set, that tests the depth of each team's champion pool, particularly in solo lanes where Kiin and TheShy are expected to meet.

Full knockout schedule in Malaysia time

All quarter-finals and semi-finals start at 4pm Central Time in Allen, Texas, which converts to 6am MYT the following morning:

• QF3 Dplus KIA vs Bilibili Gaming: Friday 6 November, 6am MYT
• QF4 T1 vs Karmine Corp: Saturday 7 November, 6am MYT
• Semi-final 1 Gen.G vs IG: Sunday 8 November, 6am MYT
• Semi-final 2 (DK/BLG winner vs T1/KC winner): Monday 9 November, 6am MYT
• Grand final: Saturday 14 November at 2pm Eastern Time in Brooklyn, which is 3am on Sunday 15 November MYT

T1 enter the other half of the bracket as three-time defending champions. Matches are broadcast on the official LoL Esports channels on YouTube and Twitch, and on lolesports.com.

Key takeaways

• Gen.G vs IG starts at 6am MYT on Sunday 8 November in Allen, Texas.
• Gen.G beat IG in the first round of the Swiss stage and swept LYON 3-0 in the quarter-finals.
• IG beat Top Esports 3-1 to reach their first Worlds semi-final since 2019.
• Gen.G are chasing their first Worlds final, while IG last won the title in 2018.
• The grand final is at 3am MYT on Sunday 15 November at the Barclays Center.

FAQ

What time is Gen.G vs IG in Malaysia? The semi-final starts at 6am MYT on Sunday 8 November, which is 4pm on Saturday 7 November in Texas.

Have Gen.G and IG already played at Worlds 2026? Yes. Gen.G won their best-of-one meeting in the opening round of the Swiss stage. The semi-final is a best-of-five.

Where is the Worlds 2026 final being played? The grand final is at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on 14 November local time, or 3am on 15 November in Malaysia.

Sources: Strafe, GosuGamers, Gamelevate, Timesaver.gg, Wikipedia