LCS Returns with Lock-In and New Format for 2026

League of Legends

6 Nov

Ganesh Jadhav

The Premium North American League of Legends is back! Starting January 24, the LCS will return for the 2026 season with the fan-favorite Lock-In, followed by the two regular season splits.

Let’s look at what LCS 2026 has in store for us.

It all Starts with LCS Lock-In 2026

The returning LCS will also bring back a fan-favorite tournament to kick off the 2026 season. LCS Lock-In 2025 will be a two-stage tournament featuring a Swiss stage and a six-team Playoff. The winner of the tournament will represent North America at the First Stand 2026.

Let’s breakdown the tournament format:

Swiss Stage:

Eight teams will play three rounds of Swiss stage
3-0 is the highest seed and will choose an opponent among the 2-1 teams for the Playoff.
0-3 team will be directly eliminated
1-3 team with the best record directly qualifies for the Playoffs
The remaining two 1-3 teams play a Bo3 to qualify.
All matches are Bo3 and feature Fearless Draft

Playoffs:

Six-team double-elimination bracket
5th and 6th seed starting in the lower bracket.
1st seed will play an opponent of their choosing from the top 4
All matches are Bo5 and feature Fearless Draft
Winner will qualify for First Stand 2026

LCS Spring and Summer Splits Return

After First Stand, the LCS will return to the traditional split structure with Spring and Summer Splits. The two splits will feature identical Regular Season but the Playoff Brackets will be slightly different.

Regular Season:

Single Round-Robin
All matches are Bo3
Top 6 qualify for playoffs

Spring Split Playoffs:

Similar to the Lock-In Playoffs
Six team double-elimination bracket
5th-6th seeds start in the lower bracket
1st seed will play an opponent of their choosing from the top 4
All matches are Bo5
Top 2 teams qualify for MSI 2026

Summer Split Playoffs:

Six team Double-elimination bracket
1st and 2nd seeds are placed directly into upper semifinals
1st seed can choose their side of bracket
All matches are Bo5
Top 3 teams qualify for Worlds 2026

With the old brand returning and a legendary North American org rejoining, we have an exciting LCS 2026 season ahead of us!

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Featured image credit: LCS/Riot Games

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