League of Legends Worlds 2026: Favorites & Contenders

The League of Legends Worlds tournament is undoubtedly the best League of Legends eSports tournament out there right now. Its a worldwide eSports tournament, that determines who the absolute best in the world is right now.

This year, you have top performing teams from every major league in all the major continents. The LCK, LPL, LEC, LCS, LCP and CBLOL all have their top teams represented in the Worlds right now. But, who are the favorites to take it home? Who are the dark horses, and who right now are the biggest underdogs? Read on to learn more about how the tournament competitors are shaping up in 2026.

LoL Worlds 2026 Prediction Hub

Who are the Favorites to Win Worlds 2026?

When looking at who the odds on favorites are, we’d recommend checking out prediction markets.

We cover this in more detail in our prediction markets review, but these prediction markets give real time insight into who the popular picks are based on performance and inside analysis. Currently, this table, based on both Polymarket and Kalshis markets, outlines who the current favorites are:

Team	Region	Riot GPR	Polymarket
Hanwha Life Esports	LCK	#1	18%
Gen.G	LCK	#2	33%
Bilibili Gaming	LPL	#3	18%
G2 Esports	LEC	#4	5%
T1	LCK	5	15%

As you can see, the prediction markets are always changing based on recent developments, but Polymarket has determined that Gen.G are currently the odds on favorite, with Bilibili coming close behind as second. Kalshi offers similar results, but if you want to check out Polymarket properly, check out our Polymarket review.

Gen. G is also the favorite to win the 2026 LOL Worlds on Polymarket

Gen.G: The Market Favorite

Gen.G are currently the market favorite, with both Kalshi and Polymarket having them in the 30-35% range. Based on their performances over the last year, it’s hard to argue with that point. While they are the ranked #2 in the Riot GPR rankings, they currently hold a 33-9 record over the last year, and also have a .786 win record.

The fact they are comfortably the largest favorite on both Kalshi and Polymarket is evidence of them being the market favorite: they have dominated the field with wins in the LCK, where they actually beat the #1 ranked Riot GPR team Hanwha Life Esports. This solidified their position as the #1 seed in the tournament draw, but that is also their third consecutive win of that tournament.

Given how untouchable and dominant they have looked in that league, they could easily take the same performance into the Worlds tournament. The only thing that would hold Gen.g back is the fact they have yet to actually win a Worlds tournament.

Like what happened last year, when they fell victim to an upset loss, that could very well happen this year again if history repeats itself.

Hanwha Life Esports: The #1 Ranked Team

Hanwha life is another strong Korean based team that often put in competitive performances across major LoL tournaments. Riot currently ranks the Korean side #1 globally, ahead of Gen.G, due to their 28-13 record.

They also won MSI 2026 by beating Bilibili Gaming in the finals, a major invitational mid-season tournament that allows them direct qualification to the Worlds this year without having to go through the Play Ins. However, the prediction markets have them grossly undervalued: with Polymarket having them at around 18%, and Kalshi only at 17%.

The biggest reason we could point to for that, is the fact they lost to market favorites Gen.G in the finals of the LCK tournament. While that would certainly reduce their odds, it seems that prediction markets are underrating the world’s current #1 ranked team.

It is not like their loss to Gen.G was one sided by any means: the series was praised for its competitive nature. We would be certain to state that Hanwha Life is still a major favorite in this tournament. Their only shortcoming across the last year seems to be every time they’ve encountered Gen.G.

Yet, they are number 1 ranked for a reason, and anyone can win at any given time in Worlds. The tournament itself will show whether the prediction market discrepancy holds true.

Bilibili Gaming: China’s Strongest Team

Bilibili Gaming is definitely the leading Chinese contender when it comes to LoL play. They are the #3 ranked team globally according to Riot GPR rankings, and they have a .814 win rate. This win rate is actually the strongest raw W/L percentage among all the top teams in Riots table. They also have a win loss record 0f 48-11, which is quite the feat in itself.

Bilibili Gaming had a successful run this year themselves. While they fell short to Hanwha Life in the finals of the MSI this year, they did win the First Stand 2026, which is an international LoL tournament featuring eight teams from different regions that took place in Brazil, all of which were high performing teams currently qualified for the Worlds. It’s important to note that this tournament actually did not feature both Gen.g or Hanwha Life, however.

Polymarket and Kalshi both have BLG at roughly 14-18% though, which makes them the second highest team in the outright market. The reasoning for this makes sense: when it comes to the Chinese league, and frequently dominated the LPL. They are, by far, Chinas greatest challenger to the Korean sides, and despite their loss to Hanwha Life, they have bounced back far stronger with recent performances. BLG very well could be the dark horse to back in this tournament, as they have been nothing if not consistent.

T1: The Historical Dominance

T1, for several years, has been considered one of the best LoL teams in the industry. They are currently ranked #5 in the GPR Riot rankings, and have a solid win percentage of .644. They also have a decent win-loss record of 29-16, making them a solid and consistent team that would give most other teams a struggle in the Worlds.

The lack of recent success is the reason why they are not ranked higher in the Riot rankings. They have not won any major tournament for the entirety of this season, and did not even make it to the finals of any other tournament. However, despite that, prediction markets still have them at 15-20%: head to head with Hanwha Life. Why is that?

The markets still take T1 extremely seriously due to their history. They still have six separate Worlds titles under their belts, a feat that has not been matched since. They are one of the greatest LoL eSports teams of all time, and if you watch some of their games, they still show flashes of that greatness. Their recent form may not be great, but they could step up and deliver when it counts, as they have done so many times in the past.

Other Worlds 2026 Contenders

The prediction markets certainly deliver several strong teams as the favorites that could win this year's Worlds. It's hard to argue with the markets either: all of the teams above are completely capable of winning, if not dominating in some cases. But, if you are looking to back a dark horse, or an underdog that could pull off something great, here’s some more potential winners:

• G2 Esports - Riot actually rankes them #4 globally, above T1, which is worth highlighting. Their performances this year have also been quite strong, including an impressive win in the LEC 2026.

• Dplus KIA - Currently ranked #7 in the Riot GPR rankings, this is another Korean representative that shows flashes of greatness from time to time. Their impressively dominant defeat over Karmine Corp in the EWC this year shows that the team seem to be back on form, and it would be smart to back them as a dark horse.

• Anyone’s Legend - Anyone’s Legend are also ranked #7 in Riot GPR rankings, and could easily be a dark horse that nobody expects to pick up the win. They won the LPL Split 3 Tournament by defeating Bilibili Gaming in what was considered a huge upset, in a very competitive game. For a team known for upsets, we could see another here in the Worlds 2026.

Predict LoL Worlds 2026: Top Markets

Who Should You Watch at Worlds 2026?

Honestly, this year's tournament is a very exciting one to watch. On paper, it seems like the dominant favorites are Gen.g and Hanwha Life. While it's certainly smart to back either of those teams, the reality shows the tournament is far more complex than that. There are several teams that are capable of pulling off the win, with underdog teams like Dplus KIA and Anyone’s Legend already scoring huge tournament wins earlier this year on their way to the Worlds.

That is the thing about competitive League of Legends play: anything could happen. That is certainly the case this year, so stay tuned and keep uup to date with Strafe as we continue to provide coverage of the event.