The LCS has its Worlds 2026 teams as LYON defeats Shopify Rebellion to head to semi-finals

Cloud9, Team Liquid, and LYON will represent the LCS at Worlds 2026 as LYON locked in the final spot in the North American hosted World Championships by defeating Shopify Rebellion late on Saturday, Sep. 26.

The NA team locked in the spot with a 3-1 defeat of Shopify. While exact seeding will be decided by the final three matches of the 2026 LCS season, the region now knows its representatives and who will attempt to become champions on home turf during Worlds 2026.

LYON defeats Shopify to secure Worlds and semi-final spot

LYON, who had been the top team in the Summer Split regular season, had looked decidedly lacklustre in the playoffs, losing to a Cloud9 that many had questions about. But after falling to the lower bracket, LYON has been revitalized, defeating Shopify in a 3-1 demolition.

While there were signs of life from Shopify, 7-time seasonal MVP Kim "Berserker" Min-cheol had things handled for LYON and was only stopped in one game thanks to a bizarre (but signature) Amumu support pick from Tristan "Zeyzal" Stidam.

Zeyzal earned game MVP honors for that unique performance in game three, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide of the series. The result ends a disappointing split for Shopify, who finished the regular season in sixth place, and end the playoffs in fourth, one spot shy of a Worlds invite.

For LYON, the already assumed number one seed for NA, the next two matches will be a chance to step back into the form expected of them. Can they reach those heights again, or have perennial top contenders for the region, Liquid and C9, once again transformed into the teams they need to be just in time for international competition.

With Worlds on home turf in NA this year, an early elimination for any of these teams could be especially heartbreaking.