A cross-country Worlds

League of Legends' biggest event of the year is heading to the United States. The 2026 World Championship is hosted across multiple American cities, a sprawling coast-to-coast production that culminates on the East Coast. It is notably the first US-hosted Worlds without a West Coast host city for its main stages, a meaningful shift for an event that has historically leaned on Los Angeles.

The tournament spans several venues, taking the world's best teams on a journey from the West to a marquee finale in New York City.

The road map

The 2026 Worlds structure is spread across the country:

The Play-In stage runs at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles in mid-October.
The Swiss Stage and knockouts move to the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, from late October into early November.
The Grand Final is set for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on November 14, 2026.
The field expanded to roughly 18 to 19 teams, with three seeds each from the LCK, LPL, LEC, LCS, and LCP, plus additional slots.

The Play-In expanded to a four-team double-elimination best-of-five bracket, and the exact final team count was still being finalized in some sources, so it is worth confirming against Riot's official format reveal.

Why it matters

Bringing Worlds to the United States, and specifically ending it in Brooklyn, is a statement about the North American market. A grand final at the Barclays Center, a major arena that has hosted marquee sports and entertainment events, gives League's biggest night a mainstream stage and signals Riot's continued investment in growing the game's Western audience.

The multi-city format is ambitious, moving the tournament through distinct regions and giving fans across the country a chance to attend. Starting at Riot's own arena in Los Angeles keeps the Play-In intimate, while the move to Texas for the Swiss and knockout rounds spreads the event's footprint before the New York finale.

Competitively, the expanded field and the momentum from a dramatic MSI set up a compelling championship. The LCK enters on a high after Hanwha Life Esports' MSI triumph, the LPL will be hungry for redemption, and Western regions will hope a home continent lifts their chances. With three seeds from each major region, the tournament offers deep representation and plenty of storylines.

For North American fans, a home Worlds ending in Brooklyn is a rare treat, and the cross-country structure makes the 2026 championship one of the most logistically ambitious in the event's history. All roads now lead to New York in November, where League's next world champion will be crowned.