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TheShy arrived late to the fight, but right on time for Invictus Gaming. His Gnar teleported into a skirmish in IG's jungle during the opening game against Top Esports on November 3, helping turn a messy exchange into an ace. IG won the game and eventually the quarterfinal 3-1. For anyone whose Worlds Pick’Ems bracket had Top Esports advancing, there was no fixing it. Riot had locked knockout predictions before the series began. That is part of the fun, and occasionally the frustration, of calling a League of Legends match before the draft even starts.
A Pick Made Before Anyone Locks In a Champion
Worlds began with 19 teams. Eight survived to the knockout bracket, and only one will leave Brooklyn with the trophy on November 14. A correct pick requires more than knowing which team looked strongest in the Swiss Stage.
Top Esports did take game two against IG. It was the longest game of the series, with 369's Renekton helping keep TES alive. But IG reclaimed control in the next two games. A bracket pick marked "TES" could not account for TheShy's Gnar teleport, or for the decisions that followed an hour later. That's different from watching a series unfold with friends and changing your mind between games. In Pick’Ems, the choices are already on record.
Riot's official Worlds 2026 primer says knockout picks closed November 3, with scores to be finalized after the November 14 final. Crystal Ball predictions ask separate, tournament-wide questions. The prizes are eligible in-game rewards, not cash payouts.
Pick’Ems also appeared at the Mid-Season Invitational for the first time in 2025, a development covered in an earlier League of Legends update on Riot's Season 2 changes. For a fan following both tournaments, it means there are now more chances to put an opinion on record before a match.
Fearless Draft adds another complication. Once a champion has been picked by either team in a best-of-five, neither side can choose it again during that series. By game four, the available pool has changed substantially. A bracket prediction made days earlier has to survive all those draft decisions. The interesting bit comes when the match refuses to follow the script. A draft that looks terrible on paper can work. A favorite might win game one cleanly, then spend game two chasing an opponent's split-push. Pick’Ems captures the prediction, but none of the second-guessing that happens as people watch.
Ontario's Odds Follow a Different Rulebook
Some of those same best-of-five series appear on Ontario sportsbooks. Here the selection is a real-money wager, available only to eligible adults, and the operator sets odds and settlement terms. Riot has no part in deciding whether a sportsbook bet pays out.
An outright series winner is a straightforward market to follow. Depending on the operator, there may also be prices on individual maps. Those are separate wagers: picking IG to win the series does not mean backing IG in every game. Its loss in game two against TES makes the distinction rather obvious.
Ontario's regulated market provides some context, though it would be a mistake to treat general gambling data as an esports headcount. A May 2026 iGaming Ontario report found that 91.1% of surveyed people who gambled online reported using regulated sites, against 83.7% a year earlier. The survey did not measure how many people bet on Worlds. iGaming Ontario president Joseph Hillier called the increase a sign of "growing confidence among Ontarians."
Covers, a betting news and sportsbook-comparison publisher, takes a look at Ontario in a guide covering licensed sportsbooks, the markets they offer and who can use them. Its esports information is relevant here because availability varies by operator. Online sportsbook customers must be at least 19 and physically in Ontario. Pick’Ems has its own Riot account and reward rules.
The Best Part Happens After the Prediction
You can get the winner right and still misunderstand the game.
Watch IG's first game against TES and the turning point is easy to spot: TheShy joins the jungle fight and IG suddenly has a clear path forward. But the conversation doesn't end there. Why was TES fighting in that position? Was IG prepared for the engage, or simply better at rescuing a bad one? Those questions don't fit neatly inside a bracket.
Worlds also reaches people who spend more time playing League's other games than watching the professional matches. An earlier look at the Riftbound Worlds Bundle featured a playmat, sleeves and a Panda Teemo promo card inspired by the 2025 tournament. Riot's 2026 plans include more Worlds-themed merchandise, carrying the championship beyond the matches themselves.
The tournament will have a physical home in New York, too. Riot has scheduled a fan festival for November 12–14, where the championship occupies more than the arena. The final takes place at Barclays Center on November 14. By the time the last Nexus falls, Riot's brackets will have their answers. There will still be arguments about the drafts.
