The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Lock-In tournament recorded an increase in peak viewership compared to last year, reaching 184,969 viewers during the grand final between Cloud9 and LYON.
According to Esports Charts, average viewership stayed similar, with both splits stopping the count at over 89,000 people. However, the last series of LCS Lock-In saw an extra 35,000 people tune in compared to LTA North Split 1 in 2025, before the league was merged with the South Conference.
To gain a better understanding of the statistics, it’s worth noting that last year’s LTA Playoffs, which was the final event of Split 1, featured cross-regional competition. This resulted in a peak of 291,301 viewers during the series between LOUD and C9, with LATAM viewers contributing a significant share of the viewership.
A more direct comparison can be made by the previously mentioned LTA North Split 1, as well as the most-watched series during the playoffs that features non-LATAM teams. The grand final between Team Liquid and 100 Thieves in the playoffs stopped the count at 170,313 viewers, nearly 15,000 peak viewers lower than the 2026 LCS Lock-In final.
LCS’ Viewership is Consistent But Hasn’t Yielded Major Growth
Despite the recent return to ITS LCS branding, the league hasn’t seen a major increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
That being said, the higher peak viewership for the final is a sign that fans’ interest is revolved around big matches with major stakes, such as First Stand qualification.
The league’s interest and success over the next splits will be mainly dictated by the LCS representatives’ competitiveness on the international stage, as well as the average level of play shown by other top teams in the league. Team Liquid and FlyQuest, which were among the top teams in the past years, had a rough start to the season, with both failing to make it in the top three.
Overall, however, the numbers are still far away from other major regions such as the LEC and LCK. The LEC Versus Finals (727,193 viewers) even beat the LCK Cup Finals‘ peak viewership numbers (695,400), driven by the English and French-speaking communities.
