It has been a busy esports week. The Worlds 2026 quarterfinals in League of Legends opened with a comeback story and a clean sweep, and in Counter-Strike 2 the IEM Beijing 2026 playoff bracket is now set. This roundup covers the results, the key players and the upcoming match times in IST.
Worlds 2026 quarterfinals: day one results
Invictus Gaming 3-1 Top Esports
The all-LPL opener went to Invictus Gaming (iG), who are back in a Worlds semifinal for the first time since 2019, Dot Esports reports. Two of the 2018 world champions, TheShy and Rookie, are still on the roster. iG took game one behind JiaQi’s 10/1/10 Kai’Sa. TES levelled the series after a long game two of roughly 47 minutes, carried by 369’s Renekton (6/2/5). From there iG controlled the series: Wei’s jungle Jayce (5/0/8) won game three, and Wei played a central role on Naafiri in the game-four closer.
Gen.G 3-0 LYON
At the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, Gen.G swept LYON, North America’s last team in the tournament, Sheep Esports reports. LYON tried unusual drafts, including a Mel and Pyke bot lane and a last-pick Gangplank, but could not slow down Gen.G. Veteran AD carry Ruler, a world champion in 2017, was again central to the win. Gen.G have already beaten iG once at this event, in a best-of-one in round one of the Swiss stage, so their semifinal is a rematch over a full series.
Still to come
- 5 November: Dplus KIA vs Bilibili Gaming
- 6 November: T1 (defending champions) vs Karmine Corp
Worlds 2026 semifinal and final times in IST
According to the official Worlds 2026 primer and the venue listing, the semifinals are on 7 and 8 November in Allen, Texas, starting at 4 PM local time (CST). The final is in Brooklyn, New York, on 14 November at 2 PM EST, and a fan festival runs at Pier 36 from 12 to 14 November.
| Stage | Local time | India (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| Semifinal 1: iG vs Gen.G | Sat 7 Nov, 4 PM CST | Sun 8 Nov, 3:30 am |
| Semifinal 2: winners of DK/BLG and T1/KC | Sun 8 Nov, 4 PM CST | Mon 9 Nov, 3:30 am |
| Grand final | Sat 14 Nov, 2 PM EST | Sun 15 Nov, 12:30 am |
The IST times are our conversions from the published local times. Check the official schedule on the day in case times change.
IEM Beijing 2026: final group-day results
We covered the opening days in our IEM Beijing 2026 group stage report. These are the 4 November results listed on ESL’s tournament page:
- BetBoom 2-0 Aurora Gaming
- Team Liquid 2-0 TYLOO
- Natus Vincere 2-0 B8
- Team Falcons 2-0 HEROIC
- MOUZ 2-0 PARIVISION
- BetBoom 2-1 Team Liquid
- The MongolZ 2-1 FURIA
- Natus Vincere 2-1 Team Falcons
IEM Beijing playoff schedule in IST
| Match | Date | IST |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinal: PARIVISION vs Natus Vincere | 6 Nov | 12:00 pm |
| Quarterfinal: FURIA vs BetBoom | 6 Nov | 3:15 pm |
| Semifinal: The MongolZ vs TBD | 7 Nov | 12:00 pm |
| Semifinal: MOUZ vs TBD | 7 Nov | 3:15 pm |
| Grand final | 8 Nov | Listed at 9:30 am and 1:00 pm |
ESL lists the playoff times in UTC (06:30 and 09:45 for the quarterfinals). We have converted them to IST by adding five and a half hours. ESL’s page shows two entries on final day, at 04:00 and 07:30 UTC, so check the official stream schedule for the exact start of the grand final.
Why it matters
Both the semifinal and final of Worlds fall in the middle of the night in India, so fans will need to stay up late or watch the VODs. The IEM Beijing playoffs, by contrast, are scheduled at convenient daytime hours for India, from late morning to mid-afternoon. With iG’s return and T1 defending their title, this is one of the most open Worlds knockout stages in years. GoPlays11 will cover the results in our esports section. For last weekend’s Indian esports action, see our BMIC 2026 roundup.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the first Worlds 2026 quarterfinals?
Invictus Gaming beat Top Esports 3-1 and Gen.G swept LYON 3-0. iG and Gen.G meet in the semifinals.
What time is the Worlds 2026 final in India?
The final is at 2 PM EST on 14 November in Brooklyn, which is 12:30 am IST on Sunday 15 November.
Which teams are in the IEM Beijing 2026 quarterfinals?
PARIVISION vs Natus Vincere and FURIA vs BetBoom, both on 6 November. The MongolZ and MOUZ are waiting in the semifinals.