LCK Cup 2026 İzleyici Rehberi: Tarihler, Program, Format, Katılımcılar

The 2025 season has come to an end, and we have witnessed plenty of exciting matches, unexpected moments, and surprising results. In this blog, we will take a closer look at what awaits us in the new LCK Cup 2026 season. We will go over the dates, the tournament format, the participating teams and their current form, and try to understand what we can expect from the event in the most competitive League of Legends region in the world.

LCK Cup 2026 Format and Dates

At the moment, the exact dates of the tournament have not been announced. The only confirmed information is that regional tournaments across all regions are scheduled to start on January 13 and conclude by March 2. Therefore, the LCK Cup 2026 will take place within this time frame.

Group Stage

In the Group Stage, ten of the strongest teams from Korea will be divided into two groups: Group Baron and Group Elder. During this stage, each team will play a single round of matches against opponents from the opposite group.

Throughout Weeks 1 and 2, matches will be played in a best-of-three format, with teams earning one point for each series win. In Week 3, known as Super Week, teams will face opponents with the same seed from their own group. These matchups will be played as best-of-five series and will award two points for each series victory.

Once the Group Stage concludes, the points from both groups will be totaled to determine the Winner Group and the Loser Group, as well as each team’s further progression in the tournament.

The top two teams from the Winner Group and the top team from the Loser Group will qualify directly for the Playoffs.

Teams placed third to fifth in the Winner Group, along with teams placed second to fourth in the Loser Group, will advance to the Play-In qualification pool.

The lowest-ranked team in the Loser Group will be eliminated from the tournament.

Play-In

The Play-In stage will be held under Riot’s updated 2024 preliminary format, which features a compact three-match bracket involving four teams.

Although six teams will qualify for the Play-In overall, only four of them will compete in the bracket itself, as required by Riot’s new format. All matches at this stage will be played as best-of-three, with the exception of the final qualifying series, which will be a best-of-five. The highest-seeded team in the Play-In will have the advantage of selecting sides for the opening match.

Playoffs

Six teams will advance to the Playoffs: the top two from the Winner Group, the best team from the Loser Group, and three teams that successfully make it through the Play-In stage.

All Playoff matches will be played in a best-of-five format using a double-elimination system. Unlike last year, the LCK Cup 2026 will award two slots instead of one, with both finalists earning a direct invitation to First Stand 2026. This year, the strongest regions in the world have been granted two spots at First Stand.

In addition, teams will have access to Riot’s new Coach Comm feature. It allows the coaching staff to communicate directly with players during live matches up to three times per game. Each activation lasts 45 seconds and occurs without pausing gameplay, in line with the rules of Riot’s pilot program. This is a very interesting decision that has the potential to significantly change the game.

LCK Cup 2026 Teams

A total of 10 teams will take part in the LCK Cup 2026. If the LEC Versus 2026 format proves successful, next year we may see 12 teams in various regions, with 10 permanent league participants and 2 invited teams from lower-tier leagues.

Participating teams:

• T1
• Gen.G
• Hanwha Life Esports
• KT Rolster
• DRX
• Nongshim RedForce
• Dplus
• FEARX
• BRION
• Freecs

Let’s take a closer look at the teams and their rosters for this tournament. Almost every team has made roster changes, and each lineup now looks even more interesting.

What to Expect from the LCK Cup 2026?

The LCK Cup 2026 has become an even more significant tournament for teams, as a First Stand slot has been on the line since last year. This is a relatively new tournament that sits in the calendar between the Winter and Spring Splits, effectively filling the gap between major events. On one hand, this is great news for League of Legends fans, as it means more high-level international matches to watch. On the other hand, it places an enormous workload on the players.

Now let’s break down what we can expect from the LCK Cup 2026. I want to start with the winners of Worlds 2025, T1. Despite inconsistent results throughout the season, the team once again made history by winning their third consecutive World Championship title. However, the roster has undergone changes. ADC Gumayusi decided to leave T1 and join Hanwha Life Esports, reuniting with his former teammate, top laner Zeus. T1 wasted no time in securing a very strong and young replacement in Peyz. Peyz is Korean, but he spent most of his career competing in the LPL. T1 have already played at KeSPA Cup 2025, where they took first place, with Peyz being named MVP. This is a very strong early signal. While it is still too early to call it a definitive success, this victory means a lot for T1 fans and positions T1 as one of the main contenders for the championship title.

Another strong contender is Hanwha Life Esports. With the arrival of Gumayusi, the team has clearly become stronger. HLE are capable of playing both fast-paced games and controlled, defensive styles. They know how to drag games out and punish opponents’ mistakes, and this approach fits extremely well with Gumayusi’s playstyle.

Gen.G are also among the favorites for the title. The team’s failure to reach the Worlds 2025 final came as a surprise to many, especially since they were widely expected to make the final that season. The roster has had enough time to recover both physically and mentally, as well as to develop new ideas and strategies. The lineup is solid and capable of beating any team in the world, so if Gen.G have not burned out after an intense 2025 season, they should almost certainly finish in the top three.

As for the remaining teams, Worlds 2025 finalists KT Rolster deserve a separate mention. Their run to the World Championship final surprised everyone. However, the team has since lost both their ADC and Support, which significantly weakens the roster.