Riot Games has unveiled the formats that will feature throughout the 2026 League Championship Series (LCS) season.
The upcoming season marks the return of the LCS branding to North American League of Legends after ditching the LTA branding and formats after a year.
In a video hosted by LCS Commissioner Mark Zimmerman, details on new formats and adjustments to existing formulas were revealed. The season begins on January 24th with the LCS Lock-In.
LCS Lock-In 2026 Format
The first split of 2026 will include a best-of-three Swiss stage, with the top five teams securing a place in the playoffs. Teams that finish sixth and seventh will play a tie-breaker to determine the sixth and final playoff team.
The top four teams will begin the playoffs in the upper bracket, with the top seed having the ability to pick their first opponents from seeds two to four. The remaining two teams will compete from the lower bracket. Zimmerman says that split one will “have 50% more games than 2025.”
Similar to last year, the winning team will qualify for First Stand, the first international tournament of the year.
LCS 2026 Spring And Summer Formats
LCS Spring 2026 begins with a best-of-three round robin group stage, determining the six teams that qualify for the playoffs.
The Spring playoffs will use the same format as the Lock-In, with four teams starting in the upper bracket and two in the lower bracket.
The winner and runner-up of LCS Spring will secure qualification for the Mid-Season Invitational.
LCS Summer’s format differs from Spring. While six teams qualify for the playoffs, the top two teams earn a place in the second round of the upper bracket, with the remaining teams starting in round one.
Summer features a double-elimination bracket, giving teams two chances to secure one of three spots at Worlds 2026.
In addition to unveiling more about next year’s LCS formats, Zimmerman revealed that more information on what the league has in store will be announced in early 2026.
