The Esports World Cup has locked in its seeding for the League of Legends portion of this summer’s massive multi-game tournament, now set to take place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from July 15 to July 19. Sixteen teams, including defending champion Gen.G, will battle for a $2 million prize pool.
The League of Legends competition is one piece of a much larger puzzle. The full Esports World Cup runs from July 6 through August 23, spanning multiple game titles and carrying a combined prize pool of $75 million.
Who’s in, and how it works
Gen.G, which won the 2025 edition, locked its seed on May 31. Two of the LCK’s heaviest hitters, Hanwha Life Esports and T1, followed on June 12. The remaining slots were filled through qualification processes completed by June 2026, with most team positions confirmed by late May.
The format is designed to reward consistency while keeping things dramatic. Sixteen teams will be divided into four GSL-style groups, meaning double-elimination brackets where you need two losses to go home. Survivors advance to single-elimination playoffs, culminating in best-of-three and best-of-five series in the finals.
