The opening day of the Swiss Stage at Worlds 2026 delivered the kind of result that rewrites a bracket: all four LPL teams lost their first match, while the LCK swept through at 4-0. For anyone following the League of Legends esports scene, it was a day that punished reputations and rewarded preparation.

The upsets that defined Day 1

The biggest shock came from Europe. Karmine Corp, fresh off winning the Play-Ins, beat Anyone’s Legend, the top seed from China. Canna was the standout, finishing a Quadra Kill on Jax to swing a decisive teamfight. Movistar KOI then took down Bilibili Gaming, with Supa’s Ezreal handing the bot lane an early lead that held even after a shaky midgame. Bilibili Gaming has now exited the first round of the Swiss Stage two years running, and the draft that lost them the game drew plenty of criticism.

Elsewhere, Top Esports lost to Hanwha Life Esports while playing without toplaner ZUIAN, whose visa problems kept him away from his first Worlds. Invictus Gaming fell to Gen.G, where Chovy and Canyon controlled the late-game fights.

Korea dominant, Europe mixed, North America split

The LCK’s perfect record included a notable win for DPlus KIA over G2 Esports. G2 built a 7-0 kill lead early, then collapsed after one bad skirmish and watched DK come back. T1 also looked sharp against LØS, the Brazilian side that arrived straight from its promotion tournament, with Faker among the highlights.

The LEC finished 2-1 thanks to Karmine Corp and Movistar KOI, while the LCS went 1-1: LYON beat Team Secret Whales behind a 13/1/5 Ezreal game from Berserker, but Team Liquid Alienware lost to CTBC Flying Oyster, who denied objectives and outscaled them.

Round 2 matchups

The 1-0 bracket features DK vs. T1, CTBC Flying Oyster vs. Movistar KOI, Hanwha Life Esports vs. Gen.G, and LYON vs. Karmine Corp. In the 0-1 bracket, G2 face LØS, Invictus Gaming meet Team Secret Whales, Top Esports play Anyone’s Legend, and Team Liquid take on Bilibili Gaming. Notably, the Top Esports vs. Anyone’s Legend and Team Liquid vs. Bilibili Gaming pairings mean at least one team from each of those matches is fighting off a second loss.

What it means for bettors

A 0-4 day for a region that entered with high expectations is a reminder of how quickly pre-tournament favourites can be mispriced. Many bettors back the LPL as a group on reputation, and Day 1 showed how risky that can be in a best-of-one format, where a single bad draft or a hot Ezreal decides everything. If you are comparing odds across the esports bookmakers we list, it is worth checking how each one adjusts prices after upsets like this, since lines can lag behind what actually happened on stage.

Round 2 should be telling. The LCK sides now meet each other in the 1-0 bracket, so some of Korea’s perfect record will be gone within a day, while the elimination-pressure matches in the 0-1 bracket will show whether the LPL’s struggles were a bad opening day or a deeper problem. As always, treat betting as entertainment, set limits you can afford, and only play where it is legal and you are of age.

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