Karmine Corp opened their Worlds 2026 group stage campaign on Friday 23 October with a 1-0 win over Anyone’s Legend. The Round 1 meeting was a best-of-one, and Karmine Corp closed out the only game in 33 minutes.
One game was all it took. In this format there is no second chance within the series, and Anyone’s Legend leave Round 1 empty-handed.
Karmine Corp’s fourth straight win at Worlds 2026
The victory extends a run that began earlier at this event. Karmine Corp edged Cloud9 3-2 in Upper Bracket Semifinal 2, then beat MVK Esports 3-0 in the Upper Bracket Final. They met MVK again in the Grand Final and won by the same scoreline.
That makes four wins from four at Worlds. It is a sharp turnaround from their last two outings in the LEC Summer 2026 season, where they lost 3-0 to Movistar KOI and 3-1 to G2 Esports.
Rank 11 against rank 27 in the Elo table
On the Elo power rankings, the result went the expected way. Karmine Corp sit 11th with a rating of 1808 and a 76-46 record across 122 rated matches. Anyone’s Legend are 27th on 1727, with an 85-42 record from 127 matches.
Anyone’s Legend arrived in reasonable form from LPL Split 3 2026. Their last two matches before Worlds were wins, 3-1 against Bilibili Gaming and 3-2 against Invictus Gaming. Bilibili Gaming had been a recurring obstacle in that split, beating them 3-0 and 2-1 in earlier meetings, while a 3-1 win over LGD Gaming sat in between. That two-match winning streak ended on Friday.
LYON up next for Karmine Corp on Saturday 24 October
Elsewhere in Round 1, every match was settled 1-0. LYON beat Team Secret Whales, T1 beat LOS, CTBC Flying Oyster beat Team Liquid and Dplus KIA beat G2 Esports. Movistar KOI, Karmine Corp’s conquerors in the LEC, overcame Bilibili Gaming, and Hanwha Life Esports got the better of Top Esports.
Karmine Corp do not have long to wait. They face LYON, who also won their Round 1 game, on Saturday 24 October.
