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Demacia Cup 2026 Opens With Brazilian Team Stomping LEC; Day 1 Results
The Demacia Cup Global Invitational 2026 opened with six best-of-one matches, with Brazil producing one of the most convincing wins of the day. RED Canids handed NAVI a 16-3 loss, while the LCK went undefeated and the LPL collected two wins from three games in the international League of Legends tournament.
The opening round left all three LCK teams at 1-0. The LPL finished 2-1, with JD Gaming suffering the region's only defeat, while both LEC representatives and both LCS representatives ended Day 1 winless.
RED Canids Crush NAVI Despite Last-Minute Jungle Change
RED Canids produced the standout Western result of the opening round, beating NAVI in 34 minutes with 16 kills to three and 10 towers to one.
RED entered the tournament with a last-minute change in the jungle. Starting jungler Eloy "STEPZ" Rodríguez was unable to travel to China because of visa issues, forcing RED to bring Gabriel Vinicius "Aegis" Saes de Lemos back as an emergency replacement just days before the event.
The change gave RED little time to practice with its stand-in jungler, but the lack of preparation hardly showed against NAVI. The LEC side used its first three bans on Vi, Nocturne and Lee Sin, all jungle picks, before Aegis locked in Jarvan IV and helped RED take control of the map.
RED built its lead through the lanes and steadily took control of the map before closing out NAVI's base. The result moved Brazil's only representative into the 1-0 pool alongside all three LCK teams and two LPL squads.
Demacia Cup 2026 Day 1 Results
Six matches were played in the first Swiss round, all as best-of-ones. The LCK finished the day 3-0, the LPL went 2-1, CBLOL went 1-0, while the LEC and LCS both recorded 0-2 starts. GAM Esports' loss to Team WE also left the LCP at 0-1.
- RED Canids 1-0 Natus Vincere
- LGD Gaming 1-0 FlyQuest
- KT Rolster 1-0 Shopify Rebellion
- BNK FEARX 1-0 Team Vitality
- Team WE 1-0 GAM Esports
- HANJIN BRION 1-0 JD Gaming
Round 2 Matchups: Three Playoff Spots Up for Grabs
Round 2 moves the tournament into best-of-three series with Fearless Draft. The six teams at 1-0 will play on October 4, with each winner reaching 2-0 and qualifying directly for the Knockout Stage.
After beating NAVI, RED will face KT Rolster for a direct spot in the Knockout Stage. Team WE will face HANJIN BRION in another LPL versus LCK matchup, while LGD Gaming takes on BNK FEARX.
October 4: 1-0 matches:
| Match | PT | ET | BST | CEST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RED Canids vs. KT Rolster | 12:00 a.m. | 3:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. |
| Team WE vs. HANJIN BRION | 2:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. |
| LGD Gaming vs. BNK FEARX | 4:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. |
The teams that lost their opening matches return one day later. Unlike the 1-0 series, these matches are not elimination games. The losing teams will instead fall to 0-2 in the modified Swiss format.
October 5: 0-1 matches:
| Match | PT | ET | BST | CEST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natus Vincere vs. FlyQuest | 12:00 a.m. | 3:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. |
| GAM Esports vs. Team Vitality | 2:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. |
| Shopify Rebellion vs. JD Gaming | 4:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. |
The Demacia Cup Global Invitational runs through October 17. Eight of the 12 teams will advance from the Swiss Stage to the single-elimination Knockout Stage.
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Featured image credit: RED Canids
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