The new year in League of Legends esports has a few updates to its dedicated season-opening phase. The competitions start in January with their first opening events leading up to First Stand.
The season opens with the early-year regional competitions
The start of the 2026 season kicks off in January across all major regions, but the structure differs slightly depending on the league. Every region begins with a fully regional competition, where teams face only domestic opponents. It’s the first true test of strength for the year, where early form is revealed and the first international spots are shaped.
The timeframe generally spans from mid-January to early March. During these weeks, round-robin matches are played, with teams earning points before the top contenders advance to their respective playoffs. Fans can follow all matches on Paf.com, where you can watch every region’s progress in real time and track your favourite teams as they fight for their progress.
The results of each region’s opening competition determine which teams will represent their part of the world at the first major international showdown of the year, First Stand, held in mid-March.
The five leagues competing for First Stand representation
At the beginning of 2026, five primary leagues are competing for international spots at First Stand: LEC, LCS, CBLOL, LCK LPL and LCP. These five form the backbone of Riot Games’ global ecosystem and determine how early-season international slots are distributed.
LEC (EMEA)
EMEA covers Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, and the former CIS regions. The region has a long history and many established organizations connected to the ERL leagues.
LCS (North America)
The LCS is North America’s top-tier league with classic rivalries and a strong identity as one of the most viewer-rich regions.
CBLOL (Brazil)
Brazil’s premier league, known for its passionate audience and strong regional identity.
LCK (South Korea)
The LCK is widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious league. Through discipline and technical excellence, the region has produced many of the most successful teams in the game’s history.
LPL (China)
The LPL is known for its explosive and aggressive style of play, enormous competitiveness, and a wide field of top organizations. The region frequently delivers international title contenders.
LCP (Pacific)
The LCP becomes the new top-level league for the Pacific region starting in 2025. It brings together Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and large parts of Southeast Asia into a more unified ecosystem, replacing the previous PCS structure.
The structure changes confirmed for 2026
The 2026 season professional esports leagues opening differs slightly between regions, but all leagues begin the year with a regional format that determines which organization will represent their part of the world at First Stand.
LEC
The LEC has made the biggest structural shift. The traditional winter format has been replaced by the new opening event LEC Versus, where the ten LEC teams face two invited ERL teams, Karmine Corp Blue and Los Ratones.
The event is played as a single round robin (Bo1) followed by an eight-team double-elimination playoff. Early rounds are Bo3, while later rounds are Bo5. The winner of LEC Versus qualifies directly for First Stand 2026.
Following region’s opening structure, to be confirmed
The season opening differs across regions and following leagues formats may be adjusted by Riot annually, the general picture below reflects established regional patterns without assuming unconfirmed details.
LCS
The LCS begins its competitive year with a more traditional structure. All teams face each other in a single round robin (Bo1). The top six advance to playoffs, played in a double-elimination format. The playoff winner becomes the region’s representative at First Stand, making the opening split directly decisive.
CBLOL (Brazil)
For CBLOL, traditionally all teams play a full round robin during the regular season, creating a consistent and competitive baseline for the split. The top teams advance into playoffs, which have historically used a double-elimination format to determine the champion.
LCK
The LCK uses a more complex group system for its season start. Teams are divided into two groups but play a cross-group single round robin, with the combined results determining placement into a “winning group” and a “losing group”.
The top three in the winning group qualify directly to playoffs, while the winning group’s 4th–5th teams and the top four from the losing group advance to play-ins. Play-ins use a GSL-inspired format where three teams advance to playoffs. The playoffs include six teams in a double-elimination bracket, and the champion qualifies for First Stand.
LPL
The LPL’s first split of 2026 uses a group format where teams are divided into four groups. Each group plays a single round robin (Bo3), and the top two from each group advance to playoffs.
The playoff stage is a double-elimination bracket (Bo5), and the winner becomes China’s representative at First Stand.
LCP
The Pacific region’s league, the LCP, uses a more straightforward system in its opening split. During the regular season, all teams face each other once in Bo3. After the regular season, the top six advance to playoffs, played in Bo5, with teams entering at different stages depending on final standings. The team that wins playoffs qualifies for First Stand as the Pacific region’s first international representative of the year.
Stay tuned for more updates
More details, including exact dates and final format confirmations, will be released as each region approaches the start of its 2026 season. Riot typically announces updated competitive information in the weeks leading up to major events, so fans can expect additional news as the events approach. Stay tuned for official updates as we get closer to kickoff.