Invictus Gaming beat Top Esports 3-1 to reach first Worlds semi-final since 2019

Invictus Gaming knocked out fellow LPL side Top Esports in the opening quarter-final of Worlds 2026 in Allen, Texas. The result guarantees China a semi-final place after the LPL's 0-4 start in the Swiss Stage.

Invictus Gaming are through to the last four of Worlds 2026. They beat fellow LPL side Top Esports in the opening match of the Knockout Stage. The series was played at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, on 3 November (US time).

The win guarantees China a semi-final place. That matters after the LPL’s 0-4 start in the Swiss Stage. IG now meet either Gen.G or LYON. Gen.G beat IG 1-0 in the Swiss Stage and finished it with a perfect 3-0 record.

Stand-in 369 forced a Game 2 response but IG pulled clear

TES played the event without ZUIAN. On 6 October the club announced that Bai ‘369’ Jia-Hao would move into the starting line-up because of visa problems affecting ZUIAN.

The stand-in still made his mark. IG won Game 1 after building a gold lead of more than 10,000. TES levelled in Game 2 when 369, on Renekton, killed JiaQi and TheShy on his own late in the game. IG then took the next two games to close out the series.

Every Knockout Stage match is a single-elimination best-of-five played with Fearless Draft. The two sides knew each other well. They met twice in best-of-five series in September. IG won 3-2 in the LPL Split 3 playoffs on 5 September. TES won 3-1 in the LPL Regional Finals on 17 September.

The prize money gap is now fixed. Worlds 2026 has a total prize pool of US$5,000,000, with US$1,000,000 for the winner. Each losing semi-finalist receives US$400,000, so IG are guaranteed at least that sum.

TheShy and Rookie’s return has put the 2018 champions back in contention

IG’s run began with a mid-season rescue. The team started LPL Split 3 in the Nirvana Group. The club then asked TheShy and Rookie, who were both on a break, to come back. The pair helped the side qualify for Worlds. Both won the 2018 world title with IG.

TheShy said he had promised IG’s CEO he would help if asked. “I came back to keep my word,” he said after the series.

The rest of the quarter-finals follow this week. Gen.G play LYON on 4 November. Dplus KIA face Bilibili Gaming on 5 November. Europe’s last team, Karmine Corp, play T1 on 6 November. All three start at 16:00 CT.

The semi-finals will be played in Allen on 7 and 8 November. The final will be held in Brooklyn on Saturday 14 November at 2pm EST.