On the morning of November 9 in Beijing, one of the most-discussed esports topics on Chinese platforms is Bilibili Gaming versus T1: the question sat at No. 7 on Zhihu's hot list at 8 a.m. local time, with related hashtags running on Weibo. English-language coverage is missing exactly one fact: as of press time, no English-language report has carried a final score for the second Worlds 2026 semifinal. Everything else about the matchup is already on the record.
So this is a status report, not a recap. BLG earned its spot the hard way: a 3-2 grind through the Swiss Stage, then a 3-0 sweep of Dplus KIA, who had not lost a game in the Swiss Stage. T1 earned it by beating Karmine Corp 3-1, leaving the defending champions two series from a fourth consecutive world title. The two sides already share one final — the 2024 edition, which T1 won 3-2 — and Riot's official LoL Esports account framed this pairing as "A WORLDS 2024 FINALS REMATCH". The only undecided part is the score itself. Whoever wins faces an unbeaten Gen.G in Brooklyn on November 14.
BLG: the hard road, then the sweep that changed the bracket
BLG's route through the Swiss Stage was the opposite of smooth. They lost the opener to Movistar KOI, fell 1-2 to Top Esports in round four, and qualified only on the final day, beating Hanwha Life Esports 2-0 to close at 3-2[5][7].
The reward was a meeting with Dplus KIA, the LCK's fourth seed and the only quarterfinalist who had not dropped a single game[1][5][7]. On November 5, BLG swept them 3-0 in the third quarterfinal[2][5]. The Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, hosted the series; play began at 16:06 Central Time, and BLG support ON was named series MVP[7]. The details are lopsided: fifteen dragons were contested across the series, two of them Elder Dragons, with DK taking one and conceding the dragon soul in every game, Sheep Esports reported; Xun's Naafiri set the tone in Game 1, which BLG closed after taking Elder Dragon and Baron[7]. BLG also claimed all four Barons and outscored DK 62-28 in kills, according to Dot Esports[8].
The sweep locked in US$400,000 and a top-four finish for BLG, whatever happens next[7]. It avenged the 2026 Esports World Cup, where DK had knocked BLG out in the quarterfinals on the way to winning the event[7]. It cut the LCK contingent at Worlds down to two teams, Gen.G and T1[7]. And it returned BLG to a semifinal for the first time since Worlds 2024: the team missed the tournament entirely last year, and its previous run ended with a grand-final loss to T1[7].
T1: one Swiss loss, and it was to the team BLG swept
T1's Swiss Stage ran at 3-1, with wins over LOS, CTBC Flying Oyster and Movistar KOI. Their one loss came against Dplus KIA — the same team BLG then swept out of the tournament[8]. The quarterfinal was closer than BLG's: 3-1 over Karmine Corp on November 6[8], the knockout that completed the semifinal bracket and set up the meeting with Bilibili Gaming[6][8]. Seeded third from the LCK, T1 took blue side in Game 1 on the better record and closed the opener in about 35 minutes on a late-game draft around Yunara, Viktor and Ornn, Hotspawn reported; Game 2 took under 30 minutes behind Peyz's Kai'Sa and Oner's Trundle[8].
T1 have now reached the Worlds semifinals six years in a row — second in 2022, champions in 2023, 2024 and 2025 — and two more series wins would make a seventh world title[8]. The history runs in both directions. T1 won the 2024 final 3-2 against this same BLG organization[4]. BLG, in reply, have never lost a Worlds quarterfinal, and all three of those wins came against LCK opposition: Gen.G in 2023, Hanwha Life Esports in 2024 and DK this year[7]. Both records are real. Neither one predicts a best-of-five.
What's confirmed, and what's still open
The scheduling facts are settled. The second semifinal was set for Sunday, November 8, at 4 p.m. Central Time — 5 p.m. Eastern, 11 p.m. Paris, or 6 a.m. on November 9 in Beijing (time-zone conversion)[2][8]. The winner advances to the final on Saturday, November 14, at 2 p.m. Eastern at Barclays Center in Brooklyn — 3 a.m. on November 15 in Beijing (time-zone conversion)[2][7][9]. Riot Games is running the event with 19 teams and a $5 million total prize pool[8], of which $1 million goes to the champion[2], under Fearless Draft throughout[2]. The final will also be shown in cinemas, through a "Worlds 26 — Finals in Cinema" program operated by Piece of Magic[3].
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Pairing: BLG vs T1 in the second semifinal | Confirmed[2][8] |
| Start: Nov 8, 4 p.m. CST / 5 p.m. ET / 11 p.m. Paris (6 a.m. Nov 9 Beijing) | Confirmed[2][8] |
| Final: Nov 14, 2 p.m. ET, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, vs Gen.G (3 a.m. Nov 15 Beijing) | Confirmed[2][9] |
| Prize: $5M pool, $1M to the champion, Fearless Draft | Confirmed[2] |
| The series score | Open as of press time |
LeagueWorlds' pages for both teams, data-checked at 3:31 a.m. Eastern on November 8, list the semifinal without a result[4][5], and ESTNN's tracker showed no update past November 7 when re-checked on November 9[2]. The official place to check is Riot's own schedule page at lolesports.com, alongside ESTNN's tracker cited above. A hot-list rank and a hashtag measure discussion; they are not a result.
Whoever wins faces an unbeaten Gen.G
The final's other seat was filled on November 7, when Gen.G beat Invictus Gaming 3-0[2][9]. Gen.G have not lost a series at this Worlds: they had already beaten IG in Swiss Round 1 and swept LYON 3-0 in the quarterfinals[9]. The deciding game ran about 40 minutes and turned on Duro's Nautilus catching IG carry Jiaqi's Ezreal[9]. This is Gen.G's first final since 2017, when the roster still played as Samsung Galaxy; between the two, the team finished 3rd-4th in four of their previous five Worlds appearances[9]. Canyon, a champion with DAMWON in 2020 and a runner-up with Dplus KIA in 2021, and Ruler are heading to their third finals. Chovy, playing for a world title for the first time, told the broadcast he was enjoying the run and declined to name a preferred opponent[9]. One crack exists in the record: LYON took Gen.G to a third game in the Swiss Stage before losing 2-1[1].
One fact gets settled on the Rift; everything around it is already fixed. When the score lands, either BLG adds a third straight elimination win over an LCK team at this Worlds[7], or T1 moves within one series of a fourth straight world title[8] — and the winner starts preparing for the only team left in the event without a series loss[9].