Invictus Gaming defeated Top Esports 3-1 in the opening quarter-final of the Worlds 2026 Knockout Stage, reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2019. The match was played at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, on 3 November (US time).
The result guarantees a Chinese team in the semi-finals after the LPL began the Swiss Stage with a 0-4 record. Invictus Gaming will face either Gen.G or LYON. Gen.G beat IG 1-0 in the Swiss Stage and finished that phase with a 3-0 record.
Top Esports played without ZUIAN, with stand-in Bai ‘369’ Jia-Hao taking a place in the starting line-up because of visa problems affecting ZUIAN. IG took the first game after building a gold lead of more than 10,000, but TES levelled the series in Game 2. Playing Renekton, 369 killed JiaQi and TheShy late in the game. IG then won the next two games to secure the series.
The teams had already met twice in best-of-five series in September. IG won 3-2 in the LPL Split 3 playoffs on 5 September, while TES took a 3-1 victory in the LPL Regional Finals on 17 September. Worlds Knockout Stage matches are single-elimination best-of-fives played with Fearless Draft.
The semi-final place also secures IG at least US$400,000 in prize money, the amount awarded to each losing semi-finalist. The tournament’s total prize pool is US$5 million, with US$1 million going to the winner.
IG’s qualification follows the return of TheShy and Rookie, both members of the team that won the 2018 world title. The pair had been on a break before the club brought them back during LPL Split 3; they helped IG qualify for Worlds. After the quarter-final, TheShy said he had returned to keep a promise to the club’s CEO.
The remaining quarter-finals are Gen.G against LYON on 4 November, Dplus KIA against Bilibili Gaming on 5 November, and Karmine Corp against T1 on 6 November. The semi-finals are scheduled for 7 and 8 November in Allen, with the final set for 14 November in Brooklyn.
Sources: Esports Insider.