Invictus Gaming vs Top Esports: LoL Worlds quarterfinal prediction

Naerlyn Published November 2, 2026

The two LPL teams that fans least expected to see succeed are facing off in the first 2026 LoL Worlds quarterfinal. On October 3, 11pm CET / 2pm PST, Invictus Gaming vs Top Esports kicks off the League of Legends World Championship Knockout Stage. Between the team with an emergency substitute and the one from Group Nirvana, one of them will reach the top four. The prediction markets have IG as the favorite against TES.

Invictus Gaming vs Top Esports prediction market

Market-implied chances courtesy of Polymarket on November 1st, 11:30pm CET, with a volume of $28.37k.  

The prediction market for Invictus Gaming vs Top Esports. Image Credit: Polymarket

Why the market favors Invictus Gaming

Both teams were expected to bomb out earlier than that. If not, one of them “should” at least have gone 3-2, instead of both finishing 3-1. Now, everything we knew about them is up for debate again.

Before the start of the tournament, the script was simple. Top Esports is a team with a high ceiling and equally high emotions. When things go right, Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo maintains bot lane priority, allowing for Gao “Tian” Tian-Liang to invade and send the advantage back to his marksman, and so they take over the game.

However, everything went south for them as their top laner was unable to join them for Worlds. In his stead, Bai “369” Jia-Hao rejoins the team. Except that he has had no League practice in several months and that he’s a worse laner. At the same time, his teamfight-focused playstyle forces Top Esports to change their approach to the game.

Against them, Invictus Gaming went so far down during the year that they fell to Group Nirvana for Split 3. There, they’ve had no practice against top teams. Ultimately, they rose to the challenge in the playoffs, but put up a much worse fight than golden-age IG did. This team is still as inconsistent as ever, and strangely, Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok isn’t even the source of it this time.

Reason favors Invictus Gaming vs Top Esports. In their current form, IG is much better than expected. Now seen as one of the best performers at Worlds after Gen.G, the market favors them.

Strangely though, Top Esports has a 3-0 scoreline against other LPL teams at Worlds since the new format. While the sample is small, it’s like their regional prowess comes back as soon as they face their brethren.

Can Top Esports beat Invictus Gaming again and reach the LoL Worlds semifinal? Image Credit: Yicun Liu / Riot Games

What traders are saying

Ironically, everyone is in agreement that IG should win this match, and therefore Top Esports will. In part, this is a joke due to how obviously stronger Invictus Gaming is than TES. At the same time, the joke is grounded in a history that looks to repeat itself once more.

Our Invictus Gaming vs Top Esports prediction

Prediction: Invictus Gaming to win

Invictus Gaming vs Top Esports should go IG’s way. History aside, there’s a problem in the top lane for TES. Top Esports beat Bilibili Gaming’s and G2 Esports’ legendary top laners, but neither of them was playing to their standards. For Invictus Gaming, TheShy should be able to deal serious damage to 369.

Featured Image Credit: Yicun Liu / Riot Games

Related Stats: Quarterfinal 4: TES vs IG

Top Esports

Invictus Gaming Worlds 2026 Playoffs