Invictus Gaming beat Top Esports 3-1 to reach Worlds 2026 semi-finals as TheShy and Rookie roll on

Invictus Gaming (IG) are the first team into the semi-finals of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. They beat fellow LPL side Top Esports (TES) 3-1 in the opening quarter-final at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. The best-of-five started at 6am on Wednesday, 4 November, Malaysia time (4pm Tuesday in Texas). IG's 2018 world champions, top laner Kang "TheShy" Seung-rok and mid laner Song "Rookie" Eui-jin, are now one series away from another Worlds final.

How the series unfolded

According to Inven Global's recap, IG made a poor start to Game 1. Support Meiko's Nautilus got caught at around 15 minutes and Rookie's Syndra went down soon after. TheShy then teleported in on Gnar, and he and JiaQi's Kai'Sa turned the fight into an ace for IG. From there IG rotated between bottom and mid, built a gold lead of more than 10,000 and closed out the game.

TES levelled in Game 2, a long and bloody game. They lost a big late teamfight and came close to losing the game, but Bai "369" Jia-Hao turned it around on Renekton, killing JiaQi's Yunara and TheShy's Vayne, and TES went on to win.

Games 3 and 4 belonged to IG jungler Wei. In Game 3 his Jayce scaled through plays in the mid and bottom lanes. TES put their effort into stopping IG's Zeri, but Jayce controlled the standoffs and teamfights, with one hammer slam taking more than half of the enemy Yone's health. In Game 4 Wei's Naafiri was busy from the start, ganking top lane twice to kill 369's Aatrox. IG took the first dragon and all the Voidgrubs. TES won a fight at the second dragon, but JackeyLove's Lucian was later caught out. IG then took Baron and won the Dragon Soul fight to end the series.

A short-handed TES bow out

TES played the whole event without their regular top laner, Cheng "ZUIAN" Zi-Hao, who could not get a US visa in time. 369 came in at the last minute after seven months away from official play. His Renekton won TES their only game, but the stand-in lineup could not take the series.

The quarter-final was also a reunion. AD carry Wei "JackeyLove" Yuanbo, who won the 2018 title alongside TheShy and Rookie at IG, now plays for TES. With two LPL teams in the same quarter-final, one Chinese team was always going to reach the last four.

What it means for IG

According to GosuGamers, IG are guaranteed at least a share of 3rd-4th place and US$400,000, while TES leave in 5th-8th with US$300,000. It is IG's first Worlds semi-final since 2019 and a big step up from 17th place last year. IG came into the knockouts as the LPL's fourth seed and went 3-1 in the Swiss Stage, losing to Gen.G in Round 1 and then beating Team Secret Whales, Hanwha Life Esports and LYON. Hotspawn notes the two teams met seven times in 2026 before this series, with IG winning four.

Next up: Gen.G or LYON

IG will play the winner of the second quarter-final, Gen.G v LYON, which starts at 6am MYT on Thursday, 5 November. The semi-finals are also in Allen, on Sunday 8 and Monday 9 November, both at 6am Malaysia time. The final is at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday 14 November, which is 3am on Sunday 15 November in Malaysia.

Key takeaways

• Invictus Gaming beat Top Esports 3-1 in the first Worlds 2026 quarter-final and are the first team into the semi-finals.
• Jungler Wei starred in Games 3 and 4 on Jayce and Naafiri. TES's only win came from 369's Renekton in Game 2.
• TES were without top laner ZUIAN, who could not get a US visa.
• IG are guaranteed at least US$400,000 and will face Gen.G or LYON in the semi-finals.

FAQ

What was the score in the Worlds 2026 quarter-final between TES and IG? Invictus Gaming won 3-1. IG took Games 1, 3 and 4 and Top Esports won Game 2.

Who will IG face in the Worlds 2026 semi-finals? IG will play the winner of Gen.G v LYON. That quarter-final starts at 6am Malaysia time on Thursday, 5 November.

When is the Worlds 2026 final in Malaysia time? The final is at Barclays Center in New York on Saturday 14 November local time, which is 3am on Sunday 15 November in Malaysia.

Sources: Inven Global, GosuGamers, Hotspawn, Sports Kyunghyang, Senseos