Karmine Corp rallies past Cloud9 in Worlds 2026 opener

Karmine Corp defeated Cloud9 3-2 on Thursday, Oct. 15, in the opening series of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. The European team won the final two games after falling behind 2-1, reaching the Play-In upper bracket final. Cloud9 moved to the lower bracket.

Cloud9 won the opening game in 32 minutes, finishing with 20 kills to Karmine Corp’s one and an 18,600-gold lead. Mid laner Lee “Loki” Sang-min went 11-0 on Locke.

Karmine Corp tied the series in Game 2 with a 16-14 win after 35 minutes. Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert finished 6/1/5 on Varus.

Cloud9 regained the lead in Game 3 with a 22-5 victory. Robert “Blaber” Huang went 7/0/14 on Jarvan IV, leaving Karmine Corp one loss from dropping into the lower bracket.

Karmine Corp forced a fifth game by winning Game 4, 15-6 in kills. Caliste finished 11/1/3 on Xayah.

The European team won Game 5 in just over 31 minutes, with a 17-8 kill advantage and nearly 10,000 more gold than Cloud9. Yike went 5/1/10 on Trundle, while kyeahoo finished 6/0 on Ahri. Blaber used Lillia for Cloud9.

Karmine Corp will face the winner of FURIA versus MVK Esports in the Play-In upper bracket final. A win would send the team to the final qualification match on Oct. 18, with advantages in side selection and pick order.

Cloud9 will play the loser of FURIA versus MVK Esports in the lower bracket semifinal. Another loss would eliminate Cloud9 from Worlds 2026. One of the four Play-In teams will advance to the Swiss Stage. The remaining matches are scheduled through Oct. 18, and all Play-In series use best-of-five formats and Fearless Draft rules.

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