2026 LEC season
| 2026 LEC season | |
|---|---|
| League | LEC |
| Sport | League of Legends |
| Duration |
|
| Teams | 12 (LEC Versus) 10 (Spring & Summer) |
| LEC Versus | |
| Winners | G2 Esports |
| Runners-up | Karmine Corp |
| Season MVP | Rasmus "Caps" Winther (G2 Esports) |
| Spring | |
| Summer | |
The 2026 LEC season is the ongoing 14th season of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), a professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. It is the first LEC season since 2018, then known as the European League Championship Series (EU LCS), to feature teams from the Tier 2 EMEA Regional Leagues (ERLs), as two teams were invited to compete in the league's first split.
The season began on 17 January.
League changes
First split
On 23 October 2025, the LEC announced that the Winter Split would be removed and will be replaced with the "LEC Versus" tournament, featuring the ten (10) LEC partner teams and two (2) EMEA Regional League (ERL) teams. The two invited teams will only compete in the said event but not in the Spring and Summer splits, as they will be returning to their respective leagues after the tournament.[1]
Teams
For the LEC Versus event, twelve teams competed. Aside from the ten (10) LEC teams, two (2) EMEA Regional League (ERL) teams were invited. One of which was Karmine Corp Blue (academy team of Karmine Corp) of the Ligue Française de League of Legends (LFL) as the 2025 EMEA Masters Summer Split champions. The other invited team was Los Ratones of the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC), founded and coached by former LEC player and caster Marc "Caedrel" Lamont, as the best performing team across the ERLs during the 2025 EMEA Masters season.[2] Both teams were eligible to qualify for the 2026 First Stand Tournament in Brazil.
On 15 December 2025, Team BDS rebranded to Shifters. BDS announced a change of brand identity in June 2025, following the hiring of Alexandre Lopez as their new CEO to replace team founder Patrice Bailo De Spoelberch.[3] De Spoelberch was removed from his position in November 2024 following a now-deleted post on X that criticized women who underwent abortion.[4]
Formats
Both the Spring and Summer splits will follow the same format, removing the groups format from the 2025 Summer split.[5]
Road shows
Some games of the 2026 season will be held outside of the Riot Games Arena in Berlin. On 15 January 2026, the LEC announced six events of the "LEC Roadtrip" across Spain and France hosted by Movistar KOI and Karmine Corp, respectively. Barcelona will host the LEC Versus Finals Weekend from 27 February–1 March at the Olimpic Arena, while Madrid will stage two events at the Madrid Arena from 8–10 May for the Spring Split and from 4–6 September for the Summer Split. Paris will also host two events: one from 24–26 April at the Les Arènes for the Spring Split and another during the Summer Split, with details yet to be announced. The 2026 LEC Summer Split Finals Weekend will also be held in a road show.[6]
LEC Versus
Format
The LEC Versus event will feature twelve (12) teams competing in a single-round robin tournament where all matches will be played in best-of-ones. The top eight (8) teams will qualify for the playoffs, which will be an eight-team Double-elimination tournament bracket. Matches in the first two upper and lower rounds will be contested in best-of-threes, while subsequent matches until the finals will be played in best-of-fives. The winner of the LEC Versus event will represent the league as its lone representative at the 2026 First Stand Tournament.[5]
Regular season
Venue: Riot Games Arena, Berlin, Germany
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karmine Corp | 11 | 8 | 3 | .727 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Natus Vincere | 11 | 7 | 4 | .636 | |
| 3 | Team Vitality | 11 | 7 | 4 | .636 | |
| 4 | Team Heretics | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | |
| 5 | GIANTX | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | |
| 6 | Movistar KOI | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | |
| 7 | G2 Esports | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | |
| 8 | Fnatic | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | |
| 9 | Los Ratones | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | Eliminated |
| 10 | Shifters | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | |
| 11 | SK Gaming | 11 | 3 | 8 | .273 | |
| 12 | Karmine Corp Blue | 11 | 2 | 9 | .182 |
Playoffs
Venues:
- Riot Games Arena, Berlin, Germany
- Olimpic Arena, Barcelona, Spain
| Upper quarterfinals | Upper semifinals | Upper final | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 February – Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Karmine Corp | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 February – Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | GIANTX | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Karmine Corp | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 February – Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | G2 Esports | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Team Heretics | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 February – Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | G2 Esports | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | G2 Esports | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 February – Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Movistar KOI | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Natus Vincere | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 February – Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Fnatic | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Natus Vincere | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 February – Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Movistar KOI | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Team Vitality | 0 | 1 March – Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Movistar KOI | 2 | 7 | G2 Esports | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Karmine Corp | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower quarterfinals | Lower semifinals | Lower final | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 February – Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 February – Berlin | 2 | Natus Vincere | 1 | 28 February – Barcelona | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Team Heretics | 1 | 5 | GIANTX | 2 | 27 February – Barcelona | 6 | Movistar KOI | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | GIANTX | 2 | 5 | GIANTX | 0 | 1 | Karmine Corp | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| 22 February – Berlin | 1 | Karmine Corp | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 February – Berlin | 1 | Karmine Corp | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Team Vitality | 2 | 3 | Team Vitality | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Fnatic | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Source: LoL Esports
Awards
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Finals MVP | Caps | G2 Esports |
Spring
Format
The Spring Split will feature the ten (10) LEC partner teams, where they will compete in a single-round robin tournament where all matches will be played in best-of-threes. The top six (6) teams will advance to the playoffs. The playoffs will be contested in a Double-elimination tournament bracket, where the top (4) teams in the standings being seeded in the upper round and the next two (2) teams in the lower round. All matches will be played in best-of-fives. The finalists of the Spring Split will qualify for the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational.[5] If an LEC team wins the 2026 First Stand Tournament, both of its representatives at MSI will have a bye to the bracket stage.
Regular season
Venues:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fnatic | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Playoffs |
| 2 | G2 Esports | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | GIANTX | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | Karmine Corp | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | Movistar KOI | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | Natus Vincere | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | Shifters | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Eliminated |
| 8 | SK Gaming | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | Team Heretics | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | Team Vitality | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Summer
Format
Unlike the previous season, the Summer split will follow the Spring format, where the same ten (10) competing teams will face each other in a single-round robin tournament of best-of-three matches. The top six (6) teams will advance to the playoffs, applying the same format and team seeding principles as the Spring split. All playoff matches will be played in best-of-fives, with the top three (3) teams in the playoffs securing qualification for the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. If an LEC team finishes as a finalist at the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational, a fourth slot will be unlocked for the league.[5]
Regular season
Venues:
- Riot Games Arena, Berlin, Germany
- Madrid Arena, Madrid, Spain
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fnatic | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Playoffs |
| 2 | G2 Esports | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | GIANTX | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | Karmine Corp | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | Movistar KOI | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | Natus Vincere | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | Shifters | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Eliminated |
| 8 | SK Gaming | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | Team Heretics | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | Team Vitality | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
References
- ^ "LEC 2026 Format update: evolving the LoL Esports EMEA experience". LoL Esports. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ Stewart, Jack (23 October 2025). "Los Ratones will play in the LEC next year in new LEC Versus event". Esports News UK. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ Nicholson, Jonno (30 June 2025). "Team BDS unveils new CEO and rebranding plans". Esports Insider. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Swiss esports event canceled after 3 squads pull out over host team founder's anti-abortion comment". Associated Press. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d Chocat, Clément (23 October 2025). "LoL: Riot announces the format for LEC 2026, featuring two ERL teams in the first tournament of the year". Sheep Esports. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ Popko, John (15 January 2026). "LEC to expand Roadtrip programme with five arena events in 2026". Esports Insider. Retrieved 18 January 2025.