The inaugural World Star Challengers Invitational (WSCI) kicks off on Sept. 20, bringing together 16 representatives from League of Legends’ Tier 2 circuit on the global stage. While it isn’t officially branded as such, WSCI is effectively a “Worlds for Tier 2,” and it gives developing teams a rare opportunity to compete internationally.
With limited cross-regional benchmarks and volatile rosters making the field especially difficult to call, we’ve shared our WSCI 2026 betting predictions to help you back your picks.
Note: All statistics are accurate as of Sept. 17, 2026, and are subject to change.
World Star Challengers Invitational 2026 Schedule & Format
Riot confirmed that WSCI 2026 will run from Sept. 20 to Oct. 2. The tournament is set to take place in South Korea, although the exact venue has not been revealed at the time of writing.
The Group Stage (Sept. 20–25) uses a double round-robin format, with 16 teams divided into four groups of four based on a seeding Draw Show shortly before the tournament begins. All matches will be played as a best-of-one series, with the top two teams in each group advancing. The bottom two teams in each group will be eliminated.
The Knockout Stage (Sept. 27–Oct. 2) adopts a single-elimination bracket, with the 1st-placed team of each group facing the 2nd-placed team from another group. All matches will be played as best-of-five series, promising unforgettable plays across the bracket. Riot has not yet confirmed if Fearless Draft will be in play.
An on-stage draw will decide the Quarterfinal matchups shortly after the Group Stage wraps up. Each group winner will be drawn against a runner-up from a different group, meaning teams cannot immediately rematch an opponent from their own group in the Quarterfinals.
For the full WSCI 2026 schedule, you can visit our League of Legends betting page for local match start times or refer to lolesports.com for official match fixtures.
Prize Pool Distribution
There is a $48,000 prize pool at WSCI 2026, with the champion taking home a large $20,000 chunk of the cash. Here’s how the money will be distributed:
| Place | Prize money |
| 1st | $20,000 |
| 2nd | $10,000 |
| 3rd–4th | $5,000 (each) |
| 5th–8th | $2,000 (each) |
| 9th–16th | – |
| Total | $48,000 |
How To Watch The World Star Challengers Invitational 2026
You can follow all the action from WSCI 2026 directly at the League of Legends betting page on Thunderpick.
Once there, tap the “Live” tab to see all ongoing matchups. Then, tap the plus (+) icon alongside a matchup to unlock unbeatable odds and various pre-match and in-play markets, including outrights, map winner, handicaps, total maps, kills, and exclusive props as the tournament progresses.
Riot has also confirmed that you can follow WSCI through regional Tier 2 social channels and regional co-streamers.
Teams Competing At World Star Challengers Invitational 2026
WSCI 2026 will host 16 Tier 2 League of Legends teams. Riot has allocated three slots to EMEA, China (LDL), Korea (LCK CL), APAC (PCS, LJL, and VCS), and the Americas (NACL, LRN/LRS, and Circuito Desafiante), for a total of 15 teams. The 16th slot belongs to Dplus Challengers, who qualified through the 2026 Asia Masters.
- Solary (EMEA Masters Winter #1)
- Galions (EMEA Masters Spring #1)
- Movistar KOI Fénix (EMEA Qualifier #1)
- Bilibili Gaming Junior (China Qualifier #1)
- EDG Youth Team (China Qualifier #2)
- ZSK (China Qualifier #3)
- T1 Esports Academy (LCK CL #1)
- KT Rolster Challengers (LCK CL #2)
- SOOPers Challengers (LCK CL #4)
- Cupid eSports (NACL Summer #1)
- Keyd Stars Academy (CD Split 2 #3)
- Fuego (Americas Qualifier #1)
- Saigon Warriors (VCS Summer #1)
- CTBC Flying Oyster Academy (PCS Summer #1)
- FENNEL (LJL Summer Championship #1)
- Dplus Challengers (Asia Masters #1)
Our Predictions For World Star Challengers Invitational 2026
Important: These predictions reflect the perceived strength of teams based on recent results, head-to-head records, and historical performance. This analysis should not be interpreted as betting advice. Past performance does not guarantee future outcomes. Always gamble responsibly.
T1 Esports Academy (#1)
T1 Esports Academy enter WSCI as strong favorites, following dominant runs in both domestic and international Tier 2 circuits.
They finished 2nd at the LCK CL Kickoff before steamrolling competitors at the 2026 LCK CL Season. T1.EA entered the Playoffs as the Challenge Group’s #1 seed with a 20–6 series record (+17 map differential) and proceeded to beat KT.C and DK.C 3–1, before sweeping KT.C 3–0 in the Grand Final.
Internationally, T1.EA also reached the Asia Masters podium, sweeping BLG.J 2–0 and later beating KT.C 3–2 before falling to DK.C 3–1 in the Final.
Dplus is arguably the team’s biggest threat at WSCI. T1.EA trail DK.C 12–14 in games and 3–5 in series across all meetings this year, though their domestic H2H is an even 3–3 when Asia Masters is excluded. Against KT.C, the matchup has been far more one-sided, with T1.EA holding a 9–1 series record.
The roster also brings plenty of individual firepower. Guti led the LCK CL 2026 Playoffs with a 6.1 KDA, while Cloud posted a 5.7 KDA and a tournament-high 82% KP. Eclipse also led the Playoffs in damage and early gold advantage, averaging an astounding 889 DPM and 698 GD@15.
Taken together, T1.EA have one of the strongest cases to win WSCI 2026 in South Korea.
T1 Esports Academy roster:
- Sim “Haetae” Su-hyeon
- Kim “Painter” Eun-hu
- Moon “Guti” Jung-hwan
- Kim “Eclipse” Min-jun
- Moon “Cloud” Hyeon-ho
- Choi “DooTi” Du-seong (Head Coach)
Note: Kim “Eclipse” Min-jun has reportedly moved into the starting bot laner role for T1 Esports Academy.
Dplus Challengers (#2)
If WSCI were based purely on international results, Dplus Challengers would have the strongest argument as our #1 pick.
The Korean juggernauts won Asia Masters 2026, going 12–4 in games after beating KT.C 3–1 in the Semifinals and T1.EA twice, 3–2 in the Upper Final and 3–1 in the Grand Final. Across the tournament, Dplus also averaged a tournament-high gold advantage of 1,855 GD@15 while winning 75% of their games.
Though the team’s domestic campaign saw them finish 8th–9th at LCK CL Kickoff, their recent performance at LCK CL Season 2026 marked a significant turnaround. Dplus finished right behind T1.EA in Challenge Group at 19–7, with a 40–23 game record (+17 map differential), but were later eliminated by KT.C 2–3 in the Lower Final after a tough five-game series.
Dplus have posted respectable numbers, recording a 64–43 game record (59.8% win rate) at domestic and international events throughout the year. This includes a 14–12 and 11–5 game H2H against T1.EA and NS.C, respectively. KT.C have been Dplus’ only problem matchup, with Dplus holding a 2–4 series record against them this year despite a 3–1 victory at Asia Masters.
With strong season results and a relatively stable roster, Dplus are extremely dangerous heading into WSCI 2026.
Dplus Challengers roster:
- Kwon “Jaehyuk” Jae-hyuk
- Nam “Solid” Hyun-seo
- Seol “Garden” Jeong-won
- Hwang “Wayne” Seo-hyeon
- Kim “Loopy” Dong-hyeon
- Kim “Woong” Sun-woong (Head Coach)
KT Rolster Challengers (#3)
KT Rolster Challengers might be our #3 pick going into WSCI, but their international record makes them difficult to dismiss.
They finished 3rd at Asia Masters after posting 2–0 victories over BLG.J, SWG, and TES.C en route to the Bracket Stage, beating NS.C 3–1 before being eliminated by T1.EA. Throughout the tournament, KT.C’s only losses came against Dplus and T1, initially losing 1–3 against DK.C in the Upper Semifinals and 2–3 to T1.EA in the Lower Final.
Even so, the team’s underlying stats were impressive. Across the 22 Asia Masters games played, KT.C went 14–8, averaged 21.5 kills per game, and held an average 1,803 GD@15. They also used 54 unique champions, the most of any team at the tournament, pointing to considerable draft flexibility in longer series.
KT.C’s LCK CL Season 2026 campaign showed similar resilience, finishing 3rd in the Challenge Group and reaching the Grand Final after beating DRX 3–0. Following a 3–1 loss to T1.EA, KT fought through the Lower Bracket, defeating DNS.C 3–1 and DK.C 3–2, before T1 swept them 3–0 in the Grand Final.
In addition to a strong 29–17 series record and 63.0% win rate this year, a core of Sero, Sylvie, and HwiChan gives KT.C more than enough firepower to challenge for the WSCI 2026 title.
KT Rolster Challengers roster:
- An “Sero” Hyo-chan
- Lee “Sylvie” Seung-bok
- Jeong “HwiChan” Hwi-chan
- Park “FenRir” Kang-jun
- Oh “Pollu” Dong-gyu
- Kang “Spark” Byung-ryul (Head Coach)
Who Will Crown Themselves Tier 2 World Champions?
With Korea’s powerhouse trio arriving in peak form on home soil, the LCK CL representatives hold a formidable target on their backs. However, with unpredictable best-of-one group stages and hungry contenders coming from China, EMEA, APAC, and the Americas, an underdog run could easily flip the bracket upside down.
Head over to our LOL betting page to follow every match live, back your outright winner, and wager on in-play maps and kills using your favorite cryptocurrency.
Always practice Responsible Gambling and check out our latest promo offers and boosts. T&Cs apply. 18+ to play.