League of Legends Worlds is the biggest event on the competitive calendar, drawing millions of viewers every year to watch the best teams from around the world compete for the title. Riot Games introduced Pick'Em as a way for fans to get more involved by predicting match outcomes and bracket results throughout the tournament.
The challenge is that picking correctly isn't easy. With teams from different regions performing unpredictably, many players end up losing their predictions early on without knowing what went wrong or how to approach it better next time. In this article, we'll explain how Pick'Em works, how to make your predictions, and some tips to help you score as many points as possible.
What is Pick'Em?
To participate in Pick'Em, you need a League of Legends account. If you already have one, head over to the official LoL Esports website at lolesports.com and log in with your Riot Games credentials. Make sure you're logging into the account you want the rewards on, since that's where everything gets delivered automatically once the tournament ends.
Head directly to pickem.lolesports.com and log in with your Riot Games credentials. Once you're in, you'll see both the stage predictions and the Crystal Ball section. Click "Get Started," and you're ready to make your picks.
Also Read: How Many Times Has Faker Won Worlds
How to Make Your Picks
Crystal Ball
Pick 'Em runs two separate things at the same time: the traditional Pick 'Em and the Crystal Ball. Both live on the same page but work differently and have their own leaderboards.
The Crystal Ball is where you answer a set of tournament-wide prediction questions before Worlds even starts. Things like which champion will be picked the most, which team will go 3-0 in the Swiss Stage, or who you think will win the whole tournament. These questions lock before the first match, so you need to complete them early. The Coin feature is not available here, meaning if you skip a question, you get zero points for it. Each correct Crystal Ball answer earns you 50 points.
Traditional Pick 'Em
The traditional Pick 'Em is split into three stages that follow the tournament structure. For the Play-In Stage, you pick which team advances out of the four competing. For the Swiss Stage, you pick eight teams you think will make it to the Knockout Stage, with bonus points available for correctly predicting which team goes 3-0, 3-1, or 3-2. For the Knockout Stage, you pick the winners of each matchup all the way through to the Final.
Each stage has its own deadline, and once it locks, your picks are final. You can change your selections as many times as you want before the deadline, so there is no need to worry about locking in too early. If you miss a deadline, the Coin feature will randomly fill in your picks, but you earn fewer points that way, so it is always better to make your own selections.
Factions
Pick 'Em also has a Factions feature that lets you go solo or team up with friends, pros, streamers, and creators. It is a fun way to compete as a group and see how your collective picks compare to everyone else.
How Scoring Works
The traditional Pick 'Em and the Crystal Ball have separate leaderboards and are scored independently, so doing well in one doesn't affect the other. For the traditional Pick 'Em, each stage has its own point values. In the Play-In Stage, each correct pick earns you 10 points. In the Swiss Stage, correctly picking a team to advance gives you 10 points per team, but if you also predict their exact record correctly, whether that's 3-0, 3-1, or 3-2, that pick earns 15 points total instead.
If you nail all eight advancing teams and get at least one exact record right, you get a bonus 20 points for a Perfect Swiss Stage. In the Knockout Stage, each correct Quarterfinals pick earns 10 points, Semifinals gives you 15 points per correct pick, and correctly predicting the World's winner nets you 20 points. If you manage to get every single pick right across all three stages, you earn Perfect Picks, which comes with a reward of all seven Ultimate Skins in the game. Nobody has pulled it off in the past few years, so it's a rare achievement.
Rewards are split into tiers based on where you finish on the global leaderboard. Landing in the top 70% already gets you something, and it gets better the higher you climb, with the top 5% getting the most out of it. Riot also guarantees extra rewards for the top 5,000 scorers on both the Pick 'Em and Crystal Ball leaderboards, which usually includes an exclusive Worlds skin. The exact rewards for Worlds 2026 haven't been announced yet, but Riot typically reveals them when Pick 'Em opens in October.
Also Read: 5 Best League of Legends Players of All Time
Frequently Asked Questions
When Does Pick 'Em Start?
Pick 'Em for Worlds 2026 opens around a week before the tournament kicks off. Since the Play-In Stage starts on October 15, you can expect Pick 'Em to open sometime in early to mid-October. Riot hasn't announced the exact date yet, so keep an eye on the official LoL Esports website and their social media channels closer to the tournament for the official opening date.
What Do You Get for Winning?
Rewards are based on how well you finish on the global leaderboard, and just participating already gets you something. The higher you place, the better it gets, with the top 5% earning the full package, including Event Pass tokens, capsules, and emotes. The top 5,000 scorers globally also get an exclusive Worlds skin. The ultimate prize goes to anyone who gets Perfect Picks across all stages, which rewards you with all seven Ultimate Skins in the game. Riot will reveal the exact rewards for Worlds 2026 when Pick 'Em opens in October.
Final Words
League of Legends Worlds Pick 'Em is a straightforward way to get more involved in the tournament beyond just watching. You make your predictions, track how they play out across each stage, and earn rewards along the way. With Worlds 2026 running from October 15 to November 14 across Los Angeles, Allen, and New York, there's a full month of matches to predict. Keep an eye on the official LoL Esports website in early October for when Pick 'Em opens, lock in your picks before each deadline, and see how well your knowledge of the competitive scene holds up.
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