Karmine Corp holds a narrow edge in the Worlds 2026 Play-In market after rallying from a 1-2 deficit to defeat Cloud9 3-2 in a best-of-five upper-bracket semifinal featuring Fearless Draft. MVK Esports similarly swept FURIA 3-0, setting up an immediate upper-bracket final between the two winners while Cloud9 and FURIA contest the lower-bracket semifinal. The double-elimination structure keeps all four teams alive with realistic paths to the single Swiss Stage berth, as any squad can drop once and still force a qualifying series on October 18. Recent series swings, including Karmine Corp’s late-game execution and MVK’s teamfight dominance, underscore the narrow margins separating LEC, LCS, LCP, and CBLOL representatives in this compact bracket.