LEC Versus 2026: Fnatic Ends KCB's Playoff Hopes in Week 3

The final day of the third week opens with the Karmine Corp Blue vs Fnatic match. For KCB, the chances of making the playoffs are very, very low, but not zero. Currently, KCB holds a 1-7 record, while Fnatic sits in the middle of the standings with a 4-4 score. Let's move on to the match overview.

Game 1 Picks:

• Karmine Corp Blue: KSante, Pantheon, Galio, KaiSa, Nautilus
• Fnatic: Rumble, Poppy, Orianna, Yunara, Alistar

Karmine Corp Blue started this match very aggressively. They applied good pressure in the bot lane and controlled a portion of the enemy bot-side jungle. This was largely due to the KCB support, who landed a lot of hooks and assisted the jungler. It is also worth noting that the first Hextech Drake went to Karmine Corp Blue thanks to their active plays in the bot lane.

At the 15-minute mark, during the battle for Herald, Fnatic managed to find a favorable fight where they secured two kills, giving them a 1,000 gold lead. However, shortly after, Fnatic looked for a pick on Nautilus before the dragon spawn. But Karmine Corp Blue, thanks to Galio and Pantheon ultimates, turned the fight in their favor, which helped them secure the second dragon and even out the gold difference.

A solid 5v5 team fight took place at the 20th minute, won by Fnatic thanks to an excellent Shockwave from Orianna. Once again, Fnatic gained a slight advantage and secured the Ocean Drake. Just a couple of minutes later, KCB got caught out badly near Baron and likely did not expect the entire Fnatic team to be there already. Fnatic took down three champions and secured Baron, increasing the gold gap between the teams to 4,000.

The final engagement occurred when KCB tried to capitalize on a mistake by Fnatic's midlaner, who attempted a very open teleport. Nautilus managed to hook her with a Flash, but this proved to be no issue for Fnatic at all. They simply turned the fight around due to their massive advantage, killed all Karmine Corp Blue champions, and ended the match. Once again, a good start from KCB that they failed to convert into a win. KCB drops to 1-8 and is now definitely out of playoff contention. Meanwhile, Fnatic moves to a 5-4 record, slightly strengthening their position in the standings.

This year, the LEC Versus 2026 does not provide a cash prize for winning the tournament. Instead, teams are competing for the opportunity to qualify for the international tournament, First Stand 2026. The Regular Season will be held in a Bo1 format where every team faces each other. In total, teams will play 11 matches each, and those with the best results will advance to the playoffs.