Rookie and TheShy return as IG seal LPL’s fourth Worlds berth

Lead

Invictus Gaming defeated JD Gaming 3-1 in the lower-bracket final of the LPL 2026 Regional Finals on Saturday, 19 September, to claim the League of Legends Pro League’s fourth and final berth at Worlds 2026.

The result sends IG to the League of Legends World Championship alongside Anyone’s Legend, Bilibili Gaming and Top Esports. It also ends JD Gaming’s final opportunity to qualify through the Regional Finals, with the team finishing third in the event for a third consecutive year.

Match Summaries

IG made the stronger start in the lower-bracket final, taking the series opener in 33 minutes. JiaQi led the team’s 11-3 kill advantage on Tristana with six kills and two assists, while Rookie contributed four kills and five assists on Syndra with one death.

The next IG victory gave the team a 2-0 series lead. Supplementary reporting described Wei’s early control of the Rift on Qiyana as IG built a significant advantage before securing Dragon Soul and Baron. A match report also credited JiaQi with nine kills and five assists on Ezreal, Wei with five kills and 10 assists on Qiyana, and Rookie with five kills and 11 assists on Aurora during one of IG’s wins in the series.

JDG responded to keep the contest alive, winning a 34-minute game to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Junjia recorded 11 kills and 11 assists on Trundle with one death in that victory. IG nevertheless completed the series in the fourth game, closing out JDG to secure the final Worlds place.

The qualification concludes a difficult route through the Regional Finals for IG. The team had first faced Top Esports in the upper-bracket final, where TES won in four games and sent IG into the lower bracket. JDG reached the decisive match after defeating Team WE in the lower-bracket semifinals.

LPL Worlds 2026 representatives

IG will enter Worlds 2026 as the LPL’s fourth seed. According to Inven Global’s report on the LPL’s four representatives, Anyone’s Legend holds the region’s first seed, followed by Bilibili Gaming in second, Top Esports in third and Invictus Gaming in fourth.

JDG will instead take part in the 2026 Demacia Cup Global Invitational alongside Team WE, the fourth-place finisher in the Regional Finals.

What comes next at Worlds 2026

All four LPL representatives are set to begin their Worlds 2026 campaigns in the Swiss Stage. The stage will take place in Allen, Texas, from 23 to 31 October.

For IG, the 3-1 win over JDG secures a return to the World Championship stage after its Regional Finals run. Rookie and TheShy are also set to return to Worlds with the team following IG’s qualification.