LCS Summer playoffs set as LYON and Team Liquid earn Round 2 byes
LCS Summer playoffs set as LYON and Team Liquid earn Round 2 byes
The bracket for the LCS 2026 Summer Playoffs has been confirmed, with LYON and Team Liquid earning direct passage into Round 2 after finishing first and second in the regular season.
Six teams remain in contention for the championship, with the playoffs beginning on September 12 and concluding on October 4.
Six teams remain in title race
Disguised and Dignitas were eliminated at the end of the regular season, leaving six teams to compete in the postseason.
The opening round will feature two best-of-five series:
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Cloud9 vs Shopify Rebellion — September 12
LYON and Team Liquid will both skip the opening round.
As the top seed, LYON will also receive the advantage of choosing which Round 1 winner they want to face in Round 2.
The remaining winner will face Team Liquid .
Playoffs follow LCK-style format
The postseason uses the same six-team playoff structure as the LCK.
The opening rounds will be played at the LCS Studio in Los Angeles before the competition moves to the Gas South Arena in Atlanta for the final week.
Every playoff series will be played as a best-of-five.
Three Worlds places at stake
The LCS will send three teams to Worlds 2026.
The top two playoff finishers will qualify directly for the Worlds Main Event, while the third-place team will enter the new Play-In stage.
That makes every upper- and lower-bracket series critical as the region determines its representatives for the season-ending international tournament.
LYON chase third straight domestic title
LYON enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed after topping the Summer regular-season standings.
The team have already won both Lock-In and Spring this year and will now attempt to complete a domestic three-peat.
Their international season has also included a top-three finish at the Mid-Season Invitational, where they eliminated G2 Esports before eventually losing to Hanwha Life Esports .
A Summer championship would guarantee LYON a place at Worlds, although their exact Worlds stage would depend on their final playoff position.
Team Liquid enter from the opposite Round 2 bye, while Cloud9 , Shopify Rebellion , Sentinels and FlyQuest must survive the opening weekend first.
