Riot Games Unveils Format for 2026 LCS Season
Riot Games has revealed the competition format for the 2026 League Championship Series (LCS) season, marking the return of the LCS branding in North America after a year under the LTA name and format.
Season Kickoff and Structure
The 2026 season starts on January 24th with the LCS Lock-In event. The first split features a best-of-three Swiss stage. The top five teams from this stage advance directly to the playoffs, while the teams finishing sixth and seventh compete in a tie-breaker for the final playoff spot.
Playoffs Format
The playoffs begin with the top four seeds placed in the upper bracket. The highest seed will choose their first opponent from seeds two to four, while the remaining two teams begin in the lower bracket.
Mark Zimmerman, LCS Commissioner, stated that the first split "will have 50% more games than 2025."
International Qualification and Spring Split
The winning team of the Lock-In qualifies for First Stand, the first international tournament of the year. The Spring 2026 split starts with a best-of-three round robin group stage, which determines six playoff participants.
The Spring playoffs follow the same upper and lower bracket format as the Lock-In, with four teams starting in the upper bracket and two entering the lower bracket.
Summary
Riot Games is expanding the competitive schedule for LCS 2026, introducing a Swiss format, increased game count, and playoff seeding innovations to enhance competition and viewer engagement.