Cloud9 qualifies to an international LoL tournament for the first time since 2023

Naerlyn Published September 20, 2026

Cloud9 just beat LYON 3-1 in the LCS Summer playoffs. With their win, they reached the upper final of the tournament, and the top three. As such, they have qualified for the 2026 LoL World Championship. The last time they played at an international event was at Worlds 2023.

Cloud9 beats LYON in the LCS Summer playoffs

C9 just played a weird series against LYON. Three 40-minute games, a teamfight going on for almost five minutes, a game with the latest first blood in the LCS, and a 13/0 finale. However, it was also a series that LYON played terribly.

Cloud9 was respectable and clearly came into the series well-prepared. The level they displayed was higher than usual and they didn’t completely falter for once. None of this was as striking as how uncharacteristically LYON played, though.

In the first game, Kang “Saint” Sung-in was constantly late on his follow-ups, when he wasn’t just missing them. The engages were sometimes misjudged as well.

For the second map, Niship “Dhokla” Doshi fell far behind and the team as a whole wasn’t on the same page during teamfights. While LYON won, half of the players wanting to extend a fight while the rest didn’t almost cost them the game.

In game 3, LYON reached Soul point off a calm and controlled game. Then, the players kept dying just before the drake would spawn – not to mention using three teleports for a play that was already over. Eventually, they got the Soul at the cost of their support, then went to contest Baron one by one.

This decision cost them the game on the spot, as they all died for it. Besides being awful, this decision is uncharacteristic of the team that’s the best at conceding objectives they can’t fight. Lastly, everything crumbled in the final game as LYON was completely outclassed.

The Cloud9 curse is finally over as they qualify for LoL Worlds 2026. Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games

Cloud9 qualifies for the 2026 LoL World Championship

Since beating LYON, C9 has qualified for the upcoming LoL World Championship. Not just their first Worlds since 2023, this will also be the first international that they play in since 2023. Before this match, they had lost their last eight qualification matches back-to-back, finishing one place below the qualification threshold for four splits in a row.

Before those dark years, the only Worlds they’d ever missed since starting in 2013 was 2020. Of those events, they had the best placement in NA eight out of ten times.

Now, the next step for Cloud9 is to win an LCS title, something they haven’t managed since Spring 2023. For that, they’ll most likely still have to face Team Liquid, and then get a rematch against either TLAW or LYON (or both if they lose next Sunday).

Let us know your thoughts about this match on our forums.

Featured Image Credit: Riot Games

Related to: Upper bracket semifinal 1: LY vs C9

Cloud9

LYON LCS Summer 2026 Playoffs