IG Eliminate TES 3-1 at Worlds 2026, Return to Semifinals After Seven Years

Invictus Gaming defeated Top Esports 3-1 on Tuesday, November 3, becoming the first team to qualify for the Worlds 2026 semifinals. IG are back in the top four of the League of Legends World Championship for the first time in seven years, while TES have been eliminated from the tournament.

The all-LPL quarterfinal opened the knockout stage at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. The Top Esports vs. Invictus Gaming series went to four games and featured a lengthy wait before the final game began.

How Did IG Beat Top Esports?

IG took the lead thanks in part to a decisive performance from Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok on Gnar. A jungle skirmish around the 15-minute mark swung in IG's favor when TheShy arrived with Teleport, helping his team build a gold lead that grew beyond 10,000 before they secured game one.

Top Esports responded in game two, which lasted approximately 47 minutes. Playing Renekton, Bai “369” Jia-Hao stopped IG from closing out the game by taking down two opponents while defending the base. TES capitalized on the opportunity to level the series at 1-1.

Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei stood out in game three, playing Jayce in the jungle and contributing to key plays that put Invictus Gaming back in front. At 2-1, IG needed just one more win to reach the semifinals.

Wei delivered again in game four, this time on Naafiri. The jungler applied pressure in the top lane, contributed to IG's objective control and helped secure Baron. IG then won a fight around the dragon, opening the way to destroy the Nexus and close out the series 3-1.

Invictus Gaming last reached a Worlds semifinal in 2019, when they were eliminated by FunPlus Phoenix, who went on to win the title. In 2018, IG became world champions with TheShy and Song “Rookie” Eui-jin, both of whom have now returned to the top four with the organization.

When Is the Next Worlds 2026 Match?

The quarterfinals continue on Wednesday, November 4, at 2 PM PST / 4 PM CST (Texas) / 5 PM EST / 11 PM CET, when Gen.G face LYON. The winner will meet Invictus Gaming in the first semifinal on Saturday, November 7, at the same time. See the full Worlds 2026 playoffs bracket, schedule and start times.

Follow Strafe's full Worlds 2026 coverage for the match schedule, results, participating teams, and more from the League of Legends World Championship.

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Featured image credit: Riot Games

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