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Historic Humiliation: LPL's Top Seed Exits Worlds 2026 Without Winning a Single Game
26 Oct, 2026, 23:16
|Last updated: 26 Oct, 2026, 23:16
Team Liquid pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Worlds 2026 on Monday, October 26. The North American squad swept Anyone's Legend 2-0, eliminating China's No. 1 seed in Round 3 of the League of Legends World Championship Swiss Stage.
After winning LPL Split 3, Anyone's Legend entered Worlds as China's top seed. Its run, however, ended with three series losses and not a single game win. Team Liquid, the LCS's top seed, had also lost its first two matches heading into the series. With the win, Liquid improved to 1-2 and kept its tournament hopes alive.
How Did Team Liquid Beat Anyone's Legend?
Team Liquid took Game 1 in just over 33 minutes, finishing with 16 kills to Anyone's Legend's five. Park “Morgan” Ru-han stood out on Camille with a 7/1/6 KDA, while Brandon “Josedeodo” Villegas went 3/0/8 on Lee Sin.
Game 2 was much longer, lasting 48 minutes and 26 seconds. Both teams ended with 18 kills, but Liquid finished with a gold advantage of more than 9,000 and took 11 towers to AL's three. Sean “Yeon” Sung led the way on Xayah, recording 10 kills, one death, and four assists.
Anyone's Legend Exits Worlds 2026 Without Winning a Single Game
The 2-0 loss capped a winless campaign for China's top seed. AL opened with a 1-0 loss to Karmine Corp, then fell 1-0 to Top Esports in Round 2 before being swept by Team Liquid.
That left Anyone's Legend with a 0-3 series record and a 0-4 game record. It is the first time an LPL No. 1 seed has exited Worlds without winning a single game since the league was established in 2013.
Even in earlier disappointing campaigns, such as LGD Gaming's run in 2015 and EDward Gaming's in 2017, China's representatives managed at least two game wins in the old group stage format.
What's Next for Team Liquid at Worlds 2026?
Team Liquid will return for Swiss Stage Round 4, which begins on October 28. At 1-2, the team will face another opponent with the same record in an elimination best-of-three (Bo3). The matchup will be determined by a draw that rules out rematches between teams that have already played each other in the Swiss Stage.
Another win would move Liquid to 2-2, putting it one series victory away from qualifying for the playoffs. A loss would end its Worlds 2026 run.
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Featured image credit: Riot Games
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