LCS is Back! Riot Reveals Bold 2026 League Plans

Look Sports Media – The League Championship Series (LCS) is set for a significant overhaul in 2026, as revealed in a video announcement by LCS Commissioner Mark Zimmerman. The changes mark a return to familiar territory for North American League of Legends, with the LCS branding being reinstated after a brief stint as the League of the Americas (LTA). South America will also revert to its CBLOL format, effectively dissolving the unified NA and SA circuit.

The 2026 LCS will feature eight teams, including Partner Teams and a Guest Slot occupied by Disguised. The competitive year kicks off with the LCS Lock-In tournament on January 24th, offering a coveted spot at First Stand, the first international League of Legends event of 2026, to the victor.

Lock-In will employ a Bo3 Swiss Stage, with the top five teams advancing directly to the playoffs. Teams finishing sixth and seventh will battle it out in a tiebreaker for the final playoff berth. The playoffs will be a six-team, Bo5 bracket with a double-elimination format for the top four seeds and single-elimination for the fifth and sixth seeds. Zimmerman emphasized that this structure will result in "50% more games than 2025."

The LCS Spring Split will begin with a Bo3 Round Robin group stage, with the top six teams advancing to the playoffs. The Spring Playoffs will mirror the Lock-In format, sending the winner and runner-up to the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2026.

Summer Split will also feature six teams in the Bo5 playoffs, but with a slight twist. The top two teams will advance directly to Round 2 of the Upper Bracket, while the fourth through sixth seeds will begin in Round 1. The number one seed will have the privilege of choosing their opponent in Round 2. This double-elimination format will determine the three LCS representatives at Worlds 2026.

Zimmerman indicated that further details, including the promotion/relegation system for Disguised’s Guest Slot, will be revealed in early 2026. The return to the LCS branding has been met with cautious optimism from North American fans, particularly after the LTA experienced a significant drop in English-language viewership. According to MonteCristo, English viewership of LTA plummeted by 58% compared to the LCS in 2024, with LTA Playoffs peaking at 98k viewers compared to LCS Summer 2024’s 234k.

Whether the return to the LCS can recapture the hearts and minds of North American League of Legends fans remains to be seen, but the changes represent a significant step towards revitalizing the region’s competitive scene.