The LCS is making its return in 2026 following the conclusion of the LTA, promising plenty of new features, excitement, and on-stage action.
The League Championship Series (LCS) returns in 2026, bringing even more excitement, action, and a lot of League of Legends to be played. With major updates on the horizon and plenty of storylines to follow, here’s everything you need to know about North America’s premier regional showdown.
LCS Lock-In
The LCS 2026 season kicks off on Jan. 24 with the comeback of the fan-favorite LCS Lock-In tournament, now featuring a modern twist: the Fearless format. The Lock-In will open the season with an all best-of-three (Bo3) Swiss Stage spanning the first three weeks. From there, the top six teams will advance to a double-elimination, best-of-five (Bo5) bracket, setting the tone for a year of high-stakes competition.
- The 3–0 team will choose their opponent from among the 2–1 teams for the upper bracket.
- The 0–3 team will be eliminated.
- Among the 1–2 teams, the one with the best game record will auto-advance as the 5th seed in the lower bracket.
- The remaining two teams will compete in a last-chance tie-breaker to claim the 6th seed.
The winner of Lock-In will represent the LCS at the First Stand, which will be held in Brazil. Only one team from each region will qualify for the first international event of the year. According to Riot, these changes will bring over 50% more matches than 2025, "giving fans more action than ever before."
Spring and Summer Splits
For the Spring and Summer splits, the LCS will return to its traditional structure, with a round-robin Bo3 regular season, followed by a top-six playoff bracket. The Spring Split will mirror the Lock-In format, but instead of one team, two teams will qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).
As for the Summer Split, Riot Games is once again sticking with the 2024 Summer format, featuring an expanded lower-bracket gauntlet. Additionally, this structure ensures that the three strongest North American teams secure their spots at LoL Worlds 2026, which will once more take place in North America. However, Riot Games has yet to reveal the exact host cities.
In the next weeks, Riot Games will share more about the broadcast and new content plans for the league. That's all for now. Stick around for more League of Legends, news, guides, and updates on esports.gg.
