Invictus Gaming eliminates TES in chaotic Worlds 2026 quarterfinal

The first match to open the League of Legends 2026 World Championship Knockouts stage was a chaotic best-of-five quarterfinal between LPL representatives Invictus Gaming (IG) and Top Esports (TES). We got throws, stomps…

Invictus Gaming vs. Top Esports – Worlds 2026 Quarters

It’s worth noting that Top Esports didn’t get the chance to field their actual top-laner, Cheng “ZUIAN” Zi-Hao, due to visa reasons. Veteran player Bai “369” Jia-Hao has been away from competitive League in 2026, but he truly stepped up for Worlds and was a pivotal player in TES making it to the top 8.

Game 1 was a masterclass from IG’s mid- and bot-lane carries. They swiftly dispatched TES by the mid-game, and the match was practically decided by then.

For a brief moment, game 2 looked like it was going to be the same. Sure, there were still mistakes and missteps from IG, and TES were punishing them, but it still appeared to be an eventual 2-0 for IG. Here is where 369 stepped up. After a teamfight, he was left as the sole TES member alive. His Renekton 1v3’d Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok’s Vayne, Yan “Wei” Yangwei’s Wukong, and Zi “JiaQi” Jiaqi’s fed Yunara to turn the tide and even the match, 1-1.

For game 3, they put TheShy back on tank duty as Ornn, and the team put Wei’s Jayce jungle in the spotlight instead. IG’s playbook this game was simple: Jayce pokes with an E-Q – Accelerated Shock Blast, and JiaQi’s Zeri mows them down with R – Lightning Crash. Since TES’ only form of sustain and mitigation was Seraphine and a measly BoRK on Yone, the poke was super effective.

There was an hour-long pause, which was revealed to be caused by an “emergent internal issue” with the tournament client. Other personalities who have access claimed that the whole Tournament Realm went down, possibly caused by a patch update that went live shortly before.

IG didn’t seem too disturbed by the pause, since when they hopped back on the Rift, they had clearly figured out the game plan. Put TheShy on a tank (K’Sante, this time), JiaQi on a high-agency jungler, and comfortable champions for their carries.

Not long after, Invictus Gaming successfully made it to the top 4 of Worlds 2026, marking the first time IG qualified for a semifinal since 2019. Should they lift this year’s Summoner’s Cup, this would make TheShy and Rookie two-time champions, with the first time being IG’s win in 2018. In Rookie’s words: “That IG is back.“

IG now awaits the winner of Gen.G Esports vs. LYON. Meanwhile, Top Esports ends their Worlds 2026 run in 5th-8th place.