Worlds 2026 quarter-finals: TES vs IG opens knockouts at 6am Wednesday, Malaysia time

The League of Legends World Championship 2026 knockout stage begins in the early hours of Wednesday, 4 November, Malaysia time. Top Esports (TES) and Invictus Gaming (IG) meet in an all-LPL quarter-final at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. The best-of-five series starts at 4pm local time on Tuesday, which is 6am MYT on Wednesday. Because both teams are from China, the LPL is already guaranteed at least one semi-finalist.

How TES and IG got here

TES and IG both finished the Swiss Stage 3-1. That puts them between the two unbeaten LCK sides, Gen.G and Dplus KIA (both 3-0), and the teams that went the full five rounds: LYON, Karmine Corp and Bilibili Gaming (all 3-2). Defending champions T1 also finished 3-1.

The last Swiss day settled the final three places. Karmine Corp beat Movistar KOI, LYON won a decider against LOS, and Bilibili Gaming knocked out Hanwha Life Esports. That result sent the 2026 MSI champions home before the knockouts and left the LCK with three quarter-finalists instead of four.

A 2018 reunion with a twist

This series has a strong link to IG's 2018 world title. Top laner Kang "TheShy" Seung-rok and mid laner Song "Rookie" Eui-jin both played on that championship roster and are back together at IG. The AD carry on that 2018 team, Yu "JackeyLove" Wenbo, now plays for TES.

TheShy reached another Worlds final in 2023 with Weibo Gaming, but T1 swept them 3-0. Rookie has not won a world title since 2018. On the other side, TES top laner Bai "369" Jiahao came back to Worlds after seven months away from official play. His lane matchup against TheShy is one of the key head-to-heads in the series.

Full knockout schedule in Malaysia time

All quarter-finals and semi-finals start at 4pm Central Time in Allen. In Malaysia that is 6am the next morning:

• Wed 4 Nov, 6am MYT: Top Esports vs Invictus Gaming
• Thu 5 Nov, 6am MYT: Gen.G vs LYON
• Fri 6 Nov, 6am MYT: Dplus KIA vs Bilibili Gaming
• Sat 7 Nov, 6am MYT: T1 vs Karmine Corp
• Sun 8 Nov, 6am MYT: Semi-final 1 (TES/IG winner vs Gen.G/LYON winner)
• Mon 9 Nov, 6am MYT: Semi-final 2 (DK/BLG winner vs T1/KC winner)

The final moves to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday 14 November at 2pm Eastern time. In Malaysia that is 3am on Sunday 15 November.

Rematches across the bracket

Most of the other quarter-finals are rematches from earlier this year. Gen.G beat LYON 3-0 at First Stand in March and won again 2-1 in the Swiss Stage, although LYON took the first game of that series. LYON is the only team to take a game off Gen.G at this tournament so far.

Dplus KIA beat Bilibili Gaming 2-1 in the Esports World Cup quarter-finals in July and went on to win that event. T1 and Karmine Corp have split their 2026 meetings: T1 won 3-0 at MSI, and KC won 2-1 in the EWC semi-finals. KC top laner Kim "Canna" Chang-dong started his career at T1 in 2020.

T1 are chasing a fourth straight world title after winning in 2023, 2024 and 2025. They have reached at least the semi-finals in all ten of their previous Worlds appearances.

Key takeaways

• TES vs IG starts the Worlds 2026 quarter-finals at 6am MYT on Wednesday, 4 November, in Allen, Texas.
• The all-LPL tie means at least one Chinese team will reach the semi-finals.
• IG's TheShy and Rookie face JackeyLove, who won the 2018 world title alongside them.
• The quarter-finals and semi-finals all start at 6am MYT. The Brooklyn final is at 3am MYT on Sunday, 15 November.
• Hanwha Life, the 2026 MSI champions, went out in the Swiss Stage to Bilibili Gaming.

FAQ

What time is TES vs IG in Malaysia? The best-of-five starts at 6am MYT on Wednesday, 4 November. That is 4pm on Tuesday in Allen, Texas.

Who does the TES vs IG winner play next? They play the winner of Gen.G vs LYON in the first semi-final at 6am MYT on Sunday, 8 November.

Where and when is the Worlds 2026 final? The final is at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on 14 November at 2pm Eastern time. In Malaysia that is 3am on Sunday, 15 November.

Sources: Sports Kyunghyang, Timesaver.gg, ESTNN, Wikipedia