Two top teams from the winners' group and one from the losers' group will advance directly to the playoffs. The remaining participants will compete in the Play-In, where teams ranked 3rd-5th in the first group will face teams finishing 2nd-4th in the second group.
Adaptation for the Asian Games
The regular season, starting after the First Stand in Brazil, will be shortened to four rounds instead of five. In the first two rounds, all ten teams will play against each other, while in the last two, teams will be divided into Top 5 and Bottom 5 groups. This change will allow organizers to allocate additional time for players preparing to participate in the 2026 Asian Games, scheduled for September.
More Compact Match Schedule
The Play-In stage and playoffs will be reduced from four to three weeks while maintaining the total number of matches, making the schedule more dynamic. Additionally, the start time for weekend matches will change: games will now begin at 5:00 PM Korean Standard Time (KST) instead of 3:00 PM. This is good news for European fans — broadcasts in CET will start at 9:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM.
LCK Remains Stable
Among all the leagues announcing changes, only LCK maintains its previous structure. While American leagues have abandoned the LTA format and returned to the classic LCS and CBLOL, and LCP 2026 introduces Championship Points, full BO5 series, and side selection in a 2v2 format, the Korean league has opted for stability.
This decision is explained by the successful 2025 season, in which the winter split became a ceremonial start to the year, and a single trophy for the entire season added extra prestige to the competition.
