Worlds 2026 Pick'Ems Crystal Ball - By the Numbers
It's that time again for Worlds and that means pickems! As a stats nerd, I just had to take advantage of this.
If you don't care about my opinion on each question and just want the full stats, go here: https://wards.lol/lol-esports/pick-ems/2026/worlds/
Champions
Highest Presence (picked or banned) across all drafts
- Orianna: 72.4% (54.5% ban rate)
- Varus: 59.7%
- Nocturne: 57.7% (nerfed going into Worlds)
My pick: Orianna. Probably the safest bet and still a stable midlane pick. Vi, Nocturne and Cassio are all good picks, but were nerfed going into worlds.
Highest Win Rate (minimum 5 games)
- Kled: 94.1% in 17 games
- Kha'Zix: 85.7% in 7 games (buffed)
- Kog'Maw: 75.0% in 12 games
My pick: Not sure what to pick here, but Kled seems like a fun option. Jinx also does well when it's picked late in fearless formats
Small samples at the top. Ashe (71.7% in 205 games) and Vayne (71.9% in 57) are the biggest-sample champions near the top.
Highest average Deaths per Game (minimum 5 games)
- Irelia: 5.80 (5 games)
- Tahm Kench: 4.40 (5 games)
- Camille: 4.36 (104 games)
My pick: I think Irelia is a bait pick. Nautilus all the way for me
Players
Highest average KDA
- Knight (BLG): 6.49
- Ackerman (LØS): 6.29
- Vulcan (C9): 6.18
My pick: Probably Knight or Chovy
Highest average Damage per Game
- Peyz (T1): 28,358
- Caliste (KC): 27,712
- Viper (BLG): 27,124
My pick: Peyz is the obvious choice for me
Highest average Kill Participation
- JoJo (FURIA): 77.2%
- Duro (Gen.G): 76.4%
- Vulcan (C9): 75.7%
My pick: Going with Duro, but a play-ins team is also a solid choice here.
Peyz vs Gumayusi: more total kills?
- Peyz: 879 kills in 150 games (5.86 per game, best game 18)
- Gumayusi: 582 kills in 135 games (4.31 per game, best game 15)
Total kills also depend on how deep T1 and HLE go. Both are good options. I honestly didn't like this question, feels like it's just there to stirr up drama.
Event
Will Faker reach 700 career Worlds kills? He needs 84.
- At his 2026 rate (3.53 kills per game) that's about 24 games
- At his Worlds 2024-2025 rate (4.15) about 21 games
- Past Worlds: 110 kills in 24 games (2025), 60 in 17 (2024), 46 in 15 (2023)
My pick: Depends if you believe in the 4-peat
Will Teemo be picked at least once?
- One Worlds pick since 2019 (Isurus, 2022 play-ins)
- One pick in all of 2026, and that was in the Prime League. Zero in the major leagues.
My pick: I don't believe in the Scout's code, sorry Teemo
How many unique champions will be picked?
- Past Worlds: 98 (2019), 88, 91, 109 (2022), 89, 95, 95 (2025)
- 6 of the last 7 Worlds landed in 0-99, one in 105-109
My pick: This one surprised me A LOT. I usually go 110-114 or 115-119, but probably just going with one of the two lowest options.
More games before or after 32:00?
- Worlds teams in 2026: 51.5% ended before 32:00, 48.5% after (average 32:25)
- All teams in the same leagues: 50.6% before, 49.4% after
My pick: Riot picked a good timeline, it's about 50/50. Probably going after 32:00
Any pro with 15+ kills in a single game?
- 1.43% of Worlds teams' 2026 games had one
- At Worlds since 2019 it happened 3 times, all in play-ins: Shogun 16 (2022), TitaN 15 (2021), Raes 15 (2020)
- The last three Worlds peaked at 14 (Ruler, Peyz, Aiming)
My pick: At first I was just looking at the % of games that had it, but then thought that it just needs to be 1 game, which isn't a lot. Altough there haven't been many at worlds with 15+ kills, it happens quite a lot in regular play, so most likely going with yes. (let me know if you want to see some stats on 15+ kills in regular play outside worlds)
Any pro with 450+ Creep Score in a single game?
- 29 Worlds games since 2019 had one
- Most recent: Gumayusi 468 on Sivir in the 2025 final
My pick: Yes. There is always one weird game that goes on for so long that someone has 450+ CS. Also Chovy is in the tournament.
Role of the Finals MVP (since 2014)
- Top 3, Jungle 3, Mid 3, Bot 2, Support 1
- Last three: Gumayusi (bot, 2025), Faker (mid, 2024), Zeus (top, 2023)
My pick: Don't pick support I guess is the message here, otherwise it's 25% chance.
How many regions in Knockouts? Six regions at Worlds 2026.
- 3 or 4 regions every year since 2019 (average 3.3)
- 2025: LCK, LPL, LEC, LCP
My pick: *Obvious answer is probably 3, maybe 4, but it depends a lot on swiss stage matchups and whether you believe 2 regions outside LPL/LCK will make it. There is a chance the answer is just 2, since those regions can full the entirety of playoffs. *
Will an LCS team reach Knockouts?
- 3 of the last 7 Worlds: Cloud9 (2021), NRG (2023), FlyQuest (2024)
- LCS teams won 21 of 47 games (44.7%) against other regions at 2026 international events
My pick: I think no (Sorry NA, EU fan all the way here), but there is always a chance, especially in Swiss
Teams
HLE or T1: who places higher?
- 2026 head to head: HLE 6-3 in series, 16-12 in games
- International results: HLE won MSI 2026 (T1 top 8). T1 won Worlds 2023, 2024 and 2025 (HLE top 8 in 2024 and 2025).
My pick: I didn't really like this question. It's T1 at worlds, but HLE have won most the Head-to-head, if they end up facing each other.
Which team wins the shortest game?
- Hanwha Life Esports: 19:20 shortest win (30:41 average win)
- Invictus Gaming: 19:47
- Anyone's Legend: 21:55
My pick: Obvious answer is HLE, since they have shortest and shortest average games, but something like Cloud9 at play-ins is also an interesting choice