Riot tightens capacity at Arena Carioca 1
Riot Games Brazil announced a maximum of 6,000 attendees for the upcoming CBLOL 2026 Split 2 Grand Final, which will be held at Arena Carioca 1 in Rio de Janeiro. This limit amounts to three-quarters of the venue’s typical 8,000-person capacity.
Riot provided an explanation for the restricted attendance, noting that parts of the arena must be reserved for the event stage, technical equipment, and the opening ceremony. This arrangement is consistent with past CBLOL Finals, where sections had to be closed off to make room for production and broadcast requirements.
Winning team gets direct Worlds 2026 entry
The Grand Final will serve as a key milestone for the champion, who will qualify directly for the Swiss Stage of Worlds 2026. This means the winning team will skip the Play-In Stage and start the global competition at a more advanced level.
In another major change, Brazil will have two teams in Worlds 2026 for the first time since the new competitive structure was introduced. However, the specifics about the second slot remain unclear. Riot Games Brazil has not confirmed whether the runner-up will compete in the Play-In Stage or if another qualifier will be used to decide who joins the champion in the global event.
Rio returns to CBLOL finals scene
This year’s Grand Final is the fourth time Rio de Janeiro will host the CBLOL championship. The last event in the city was in 2021, when it took place at Morro da Urca. That year, the final was a closed-door event due to ongoing pandemic restrictions.
Before 2021, Rio had already been a key location for the league. In 2019, a team won the title at Jeunesse Arena with a 3-2 victory. Even earlier, in 2014, another team came out on top, defeating CNB 3-1 at Ginásio do Maracanãzinho. With the 2026 event, the city reclaims its role as a central venue for Brazil’s top League of Legends competition.