LCP unveils full 2026 format ahead of Split 1

Riot Games has unveiled the full schedule and a detailed format for the 2026 League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) season, set to begin on January 16th.

The introduction of Championship Points, along with the addition of a Swiss Stage are the main highlights of the latest season.

LCP 2026 will feature eight teams competing for regional titles and qualification to international competitions, including First Stand, Mid-Season Invitational, and League of Legends’ crowning event, World Championship.

Check out the complete breakdown of the schedule and format for the 2026 LCP season below.

Unlike the previous year, the 2026 LCP season will have three Partner Teams instead of four, following the removal of TALON due to financial issues. As a result, Riot Games has invited Ground Zero Gaming to fill the vacant slot, with Deep Cross Gaming also joining the league as a new Guest Team.

Here are the teams participating in LCP 2026:

The season will be divided into three stages – Split 1, Split 2, and Split 3, with each event having Championship Points on the line.

The opening tournament of the LCP 2026 season will run from January 16th to March 1st, where the winner will secure a spot at First Stand 2026. The teams will start the campaign with the Regular Season, which consists of a single round-robin format of BO3 series. 

The top six teams will advance to the Knockout Stage to battle in a double-elimination bracket featuring BO5 matches to determine the champion.

Taking place from April 4th to June 7th, LCP Split 2 will follow the same format as that of Split 1; however, the winner of this event will qualify for MSI 2026. In addition to this, the organisation with the highest number of Championship Points will also represent the region at the second international League of Legends event of the year.

LCP Split 3 will kick off onJuly 24th with the Swiss Stage, where the top four teams from Split 2 will be randomly drawn against the bottom four squads. A draw will take place before every round to decide matchups; however, no two teams will be paired again unless there is no other option available. 

The Swiss Stage will feature a mix of BO3 and BO5 series, and once the top four teams have been finalised, the Seeding Round will be held before the Playoffs. All series played in the Seeding Round will be BO5, with the first seed getting to choose its Playoffs opponent from the third and fourth seeds.

Moving on to the Playoffs, the top four teams coming from a rigorous Swiss Stage will compete in a double-elimination bracket until August 30th. In the end, the LCP Champion and the runner-up will qualify for the 2026 World Championship. The third slot will go to the team with the highest number of Championship Points across the entire season.

As mentioned above, Championship Points will reward teams showcasing the most consistent performances throughout the season with qualification for MSI and Worlds 2026. Apart from this, these will also determine which Guest Teams will fight to retain their spots in the tier-one circuit at the LCP Promotion Series.

Here is the number of Championship Points teams can earn across Split 1, Split 2, and Split 3:

In case multiple teams have the same number of Championship Points, their standings in the Knockout Stage or Playoffs will be used as a tie-breaker.

Following Split 3, two Guest teams, based on the Championship Points and overall performance, will defend their LCP spots against top teams from regional leagues. 

There will be a total of two slots available through the Free-for-All and Regional Merit, with the Guest Teams qualifying for Worlds exempted from the LCP Promotion Series. Riot Games will announce further details about the event at a later date.

Fans can head to LCP Arena in Taipei to watch LCP 2026 matches in-person, except for the Split 3 Finals Weekend, which will be held at a different location. Tickets for each match weekend will go live on the KKTIX website and FamilyMart outlets a week in advance on each Wednesday at 4 AM GMT, starting January 7th.

Those who want to witness the action from the comfort of their homes can tune into the official LoL Pacific Twitch and YouTube channels.