Champions Queue Returns for Worlds 2026, Giving Pros an Exclusive Practice Environment

Champions Queue is returning for Worlds 2026. Riot Games announced on Sunday, October 18, that the exclusive League of Legends practice queue is making a comeback, allowing professional players to compete against each other outside of official matches.

Champions Queue will be available throughout the World Championship's Swiss Stage, with three-hour sessions every night. Fans will also have the opportunity to watch players who choose to stream their matches live.

The announcement was shared by the official LoL Esports account on X. According to Riot, the goal is to give pros a solo queue environment where they can practice against other professional players.

What Is Champions Queue in League of Legends?

Champions Queue is an exclusive competitive queue for professional League of Legends players and other participants approved by Riot Games. Unlike regular solo queue, it is not open to everyone through the League of Legends client.

The system originally launched in North America in February 2022 as an alternative practice environment for LCS players, development teams, and amateur talent.

In its original format, access was invite-only and organized through a private Discord server. The platform supported automatic match creation, communication between players, and match result tracking.

Champions Queue has also featured its own leaderboard, match history, and individual player statistics, allowing participants to track their performance.

The idea is to provide high-level competitive matches outside of team practice sessions, commonly known as scrims. This allows pros to practice individually against experienced players, including competitors from other organizations.

Riot has not yet confirmed whether all these features will return for the Worlds 2026 edition.

What Are the Champions Queue Hours During Worlds 2026?

According to Riot Games, Champions Queue will run every night from 8 PM to 11 PM PDT (11 PM to 2 AM EDT the following day) throughout the Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage.

For international viewers, the sessions will take place from 03:00 to 06:00 UTC the following day.

The Swiss Stage is scheduled for October 23 to 31 in Allen, Texas. Riot has not announced the exact date of the first Champions Queue session, only confirming that the queue will be available during this stage of the tournament.

How to Watch Champions Queue Matches

Fans will be able to watch Champions Queue matches through the individual livestreams of participating professional players. Riot encouraged viewers to keep an eye on their favorite pros' streams.

Since Champions Queue brings together players from different teams, matches may feature pros who would normally only face each other in official competitions.

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Featured image credit: Riot Games

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