How to qualify for Riftbound Worlds
2026 path: Showdowns/RQs → Regional Championships → Top 8 to the Shanghai Showcase. 2027 adds open Continentals, Ladder Points and an Annual Top Finish Race into a larger Worlds.
The path
A simple ladder — start at step 1 and climb.
- Showdowns & Challenges — Partner Showdowns and (in 2027) store Challenge Series.
- Regionals — 2026: invite Regional Championships. 2027: larger open Regionals.
- Continentals (2027) — Open Friday qualifier + token holders on Day 2.
- Worlds — Showcase Shanghai Jan 2027; larger 2027 Worlds later.
In plain English
Riot’s first Riftbound World Championship Showcase is January 23–24, 2027 in Shanghai (24 players). For 2026, Top 8 at each Regional Championship (Europe Stuttgart, North America Las Vegas, plus China) earn Showcase invites. For the larger 2027 World Championship, invites go to Regional winners, Continental Top 8s, China Major winners, top China Regional finishers, Korea/Taiwan program leaders, and the Top 50 not-already-invited players on the Annual Top Finish Race.
What to do
- Finish the 2026 ladder (right now)
Top 64 at a Regional Qualifier or a qualifying Showdown Series finish earned Regional Championship invites. Top 8 at Stuttgart, Las Vegas (Convergence Fest) or the China Regional Championship → Showcase invite.
- 2027 Regionals
Regionals become three-day open events (Madrid, Philadelphia, Auckland, Louisville, Düsseldorf, Lyon and more). Challenge Series winners and Showdown finishes earn Regional tokens.
- Continentals
Four Continentals in 2027: Dallas, Melbourne, London, Toronto. Friday is open; Day 2 tokens (from Showdowns, Regionals, Seasonal Top Finish Race) join with reset records.
- 2027 Worlds invites
Win a Regional, Top 8 a Continental, win a China Major, place in China/Korea/Taiwan programs, or land in the Annual Top Finish Race Top 50 without another invite.
Unconfirmed / watch this
- 2027 World Championship city, dates, field size and exact China/Korea/Taiwan invite counts are not finalized.
- Ladder Point thresholds for Ranked Ladder tiers (Aspirant through Platinum) were still unpublished when Riot posted the 2027 Premier Play overview.