Autumn brings the two biggest Riot Games events of the year. Valorant Champions will take place in Shanghai from 24 September to 18 October. League of Legends Worlds begins a few weeks later, running from 15 October to 14 November across the United States. Regional leagues are still deciding the last qualification places, but betting markets are already taking shape. Anyone following esports through 1xbet can already find outright markets, map handicaps, totals and player props before the tournaments begin.
Valorant Champions Heads to Shanghai
Shanghai becomes the first Chinese city to host Valorant Champions. Sixteen teams will compete for a prize pool of $2.25 million.
Each of the four international regions — Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China — will send four representatives. Stage 2 is still underway, so several places remain undecided. Paper Rex, Leviatán, NRG and EDward Gaming are among the teams most often mentioned as likely qualifiers after another year of strong international results.
The tournament keeps its familiar group stage before moving into the playoffs. That format has produced plenty of unexpected results in previous editions. A strong favourite can look comfortable before the event begins and still disappear much earlier than expected.
Worlds Returns to the United States
League of Legends Worlds 2026 opens on 15 October and finishes exactly one month later with the Grand Final on 14 November.
The tournament moves between several venues:
- Play-In: Riot Games Arena, Los Angeles (15–18 October)
- Swiss Stage, quarter-finals and semi-finals: Allen, Texas
- Grand Final: Barclays Center, Brooklyn (14 November)
Nineteen teams will qualify. T1 arrive looking to extend one of the strongest eras in Worlds history, although the leading LCK and LPL organisations are once again expected to dominate the conversation. The final list of participants will only become clear once the regional summer splits finish.
Markets That May Be Worth Watching
Outright betting usually attracts the first wave of interest. Prices can change quickly once qualification is complete.
Pacific and Chinese teams in Valorant are sometimes priced more cautiously than recent international performances suggest. Something similar happens in League of Legends, where strong LPL teams occasionally drift if they finish the summer without dominating every opponent.
Playoff qualification and top-four markets often provide another angle. Those prices can look more balanced than outright winner markets, especially when several teams appear closely matched.
Map handicaps also deserve a closer look. The same applies to totals. In Valorant, uneven map pools sometimes make the favourite look stronger than the series eventually becomes. League of Legends produces similar situations in best-of-three and best-of-five matches.
Live betting becomes more interesting once the first map begins. A draft in League of Legends or an unexpected opening map in Valorant can shift the balance of a series long before the odds fully react.
Player markets continue to expand as well. Kills, first blood, dragons, barons, pistol rounds and individual player statistics now receive much deeper coverage than they did only a few years ago.
What May Influence the Odds
The final weeks before both tournaments often change the picture.
Some teams finish the regional splits playing their best League of the year. Others qualify without much momentum. International experience also tends to matter once the pressure increases.
Patch updates remain another variable. Riot regularly adjusts the game before its biggest events, and even small balance changes can reshape champion priorities or preferred team styles.
Location may also play a part. Chinese teams should feel comfortable playing Champions on home soil, while North American organisations are likely to receive stronger crowd support during Worlds.
Where Early Prices May Move
Although both events come from Riot Games, they rarely behave the same way from a betting perspective.
Valorant has built a reputation for unpredictable playoff runs. League of Legends usually follows a clearer hierarchy, even if knockout stages still produce the occasional surprise.
That is why outright betting tells only part of the story. Handicaps, totals and live markets often become more interesting once teams settle into the tournament. By then, the early outright prices available during August and September may already be gone.
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