Invictus Gaming beat JD Gaming 3-1: LPL's final ticket to Worlds 2026

On September 19, 2026, Invictus Gaming closed out the LPL Regional Finals with a 3-1 victory over JD Gaming in the lower-bracket final. The win secured the fourth and final LPL seed for Worlds 2026 after a difficult route that began with a 1-3 loss to Top Esports in the upper-bracket final. In game one, Invictus Gaming won in 33 minutes with an 11-3 kill score. JiaQi on Tristana recorded 6 kills and 2 assists. Wei's Qiyana controlled the early Rift Herald and set up Dragon Soul and Baron. JD Gaming's only win came in 34 minutes behind Junjia's Trundle, who posted 11 kills, 1 death and 11 assists. In the remaining games, Rookie showed range with Syndra and Aurora, while JiaQi contributed 9 kills and 5 assists on Ezreal. According to Inven Global, the four LPL representatives are AL as first seed, BLG as second seed, Top Esports as third seed, and Invictus Gaming as fourth seed. All four will start in the Swiss Stage in Allen, Texas, from October 23 to 31, 2026. The result is a legitimate resilience marker. Invictus Gaming survived a double-elimination structure and won a BO5 under pressure. However, the fourth seed is the lowest LPL position, and the five-week gap between the Regional Finals and Worlds creates patch-drift risk. Rookie and TheShy, both former world champions with Invictus Gaming in 2026, return to the international stage, but the article provides no season-long form data for TheShy. JD Gaming finished third in the Regional Finals for the third consecutive year, a structural ceiling sign rather than random variance. JDG and Team WE will move to the Demacia Cup Global Invitational 2026. Invictus Gaming enters Worlds with a diversified carry structure and a strong narrative, but the competitive reality is that of a resilient fourth seed, not a title favorite. The Swiss Stage will be the real test of depth, adaptation, and veteran durability.