BRION, LGD and Vitality reach Demacia Cup knockouts as Vietnam's GAM Esports fight to survive

BRION, LGD Gaming and Team Vitality have joined FEARX, KT Rolster and Team WE in the knockout stage of the Demacia Cup Global Invitational, a new League of Legends event in China for top teams that missed out on this year's World Championship.

All three won their third-round Swiss matches on Tuesday (6 October). That means six of the eight knockout places are now taken, with two left to decide before the online stage ends this week. Vietnam's GAM Esports, the only South-east Asian team in the field, are fighting to stay alive.

What is the Demacia Cup Global Invitational?

The Demacia Cup has long been a domestic tournament in China, but this edition brings in 12 teams from six regions. Each of them finished outside their region's Worlds places this season.

• LCK (Korea): KT Rolster, BNK FEARX, HANJIN BRION
• LPL (China): JD Gaming, Team WE, LGD Gaming
• LEC (Europe): Natus Vincere, Team Vitality
• LCS (North America): Shopify Rebellion, FlyQuest
• LCP (Asia-Pacific): GAM Esports
• CBLOL (Brazil): RED Canids

The prize pool is 1.5 million yuan, about US$223,800. The winners take around US$89,520 and the runners-up around US$59,680.

How Tuesday's high matches played out

The third round paired the teams that had one win and one loss. Each winner was guaranteed a knockout place.

• BRION 2-1 Natus Vincere: The Korean side needed three games but got the job done against NAVI.
• LGD Gaming 2-0 JD Gaming: LGD won the all-LPL match in two games.
• Team Vitality 2-0 RED Canids: Vitality kept up their good form after sweeping GAM Esports in the previous round.

FEARX, KT Rolster and Team WE had already qualified by winning their first two matches, so Korea's three teams have all reached the knockout stage.

Two places left, and GAM need help

Teams that reach two wins go through, but the bottom of the table works differently. The three teams without a win, GAM Esports, FlyQuest and Shopify Rebellion, play a round-robin on Wednesday. Two of them will be knocked out. The survivor joins Tuesday's losers, NAVI, JD Gaming and RED Canids, in the fight for the last two knockout places.

GAM have had a hard start. In round two they lost 2-0 to Vitality, in games of 26 and 29 minutes. But a good day on Wednesday would keep Vietnam's hopes alive.

Knockout stage moves to Beijing

The Swiss stage is being played online from 3 to 8 October. The eight qualified teams then travel to Beijing for a single-elimination knockout stage from 12 to 15 October. All knockout matches are best-of-five, and teams from the same region can meet straight away. The grand final is on 17 October.

The event finishes just before the Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage begins in the United States, so the Demacia Cup will give League fans something to watch while the main event's Play-In stage is under way.

Key takeaways

• BRION, LGD Gaming and Vitality won on 6 October to reach the Demacia Cup knockout stage.
• FEARX, KT Rolster and Team WE were already through, so six of the eight places are filled.
• GAM Esports, FlyQuest and Shopify Rebellion play a round-robin on Wednesday to stay alive.
• The knockout stage runs from 12 to 15 October in Beijing, and the final is on 17 October.

FAQ

Which teams are playing in the Demacia Cup Global Invitational 2026? There are 12 teams from the LCK, LPL, LEC, LCS, LCP and CBLOL that did not qualify for Worlds 2026, including KT Rolster, JD Gaming, NAVI and Vietnam's GAM Esports.

How much prize money is on offer at the Demacia Cup? The total prize pool is 1.5 million yuan, about US$223,800, with around US$89,520 for the winners.

When is the Demacia Cup final? The grand final is on 17 October, after the knockout stage in Beijing from 12 to 15 October.

Sources: Field Level Media, Insider Gaming