Kha Y Tran The LCK Cup 2026 officially kicks off on January 14, 2026, bringing together 10 elite League of Legends teams from Korea. As the first major tournament of the season, the event sets the competitive tone for the year and defines early power rankings. Moreover, it determines qualification for upcoming international competitions. For this reason, fans and analysts closely follow the full LCK Cup 2026 schedule.
You can follow match updates and information on Tenkly: https://tenkly.com/
What Is LCK Cup?
The League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK Cup) stands as one of South Korea’s premier professional LoL tournaments. Beyond domestic play, the event connects top teams to the global esports stage. As a result, high-performing teams secure spots at major international events, including: LoL Esports World Cup (EWC), League of Legends World Championship (Worlds), First Stand, Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).
LCK Cup 2026 Information
In 2026, LoL Park – ARENA hosts the LCK Cup with seating for 450 spectators. Despite the limited capacity, the venue creates an intense atmosphere and delivers a close-up viewing experience. At the same time, millions of fans watch the tournament through official online broadcasts.
Participating Teams
This year, 10 professional teams compete for international qualification:
- T1
- Gen.G
- Hanwha Life Esports (HLE)
- Dplus KIA (DK)
- DragonX (DRX)
- KT Rolster (KT)
- DN SOOPers (DNS)
- BNK FearX (BFX)
- Nongshim RedForce (NS)
- OKSavingsBank BRION (BRO)
Notably, several former world champions join the lineup, which raises the level of competition..
LCK Cup 2026 Format
Group Stage
To begin with, organizers divide teams into two groups: the Baron Group and the Elder Dragon Group, each with five teams. From there, every team plays a single round-robin series against all teams from the opposite group. Once matches conclude, the group with the higher total score claims the Winning Group title, while the other becomes the Losing Group.
Based on these results, qualification follows these rules:
- Top 2 teams from the Winning Group advance directly to the Playoffs
- The first-place team from the Losing Group earns a Playoffs spot
- The last-place team in the Losing Group exits the tournament
- All remaining teams move to the Play-In Stage
Scoring System
- For Bo3 matches, a win grants 1 point
- During Super Week, a Bo5 victory awards 2 points
Therefore, consistency throughout the group stage is crucial.
Play-In Stage
- Following the Group Stage, teams are seeded based on their performance.
- While Round 3 matches are played in Bo5 format, all other matches remain Bo3.
- Ultimately, the top 3 teams secure a spot in the Playoffs.
Playoffs
- At this stage, all matches are played in Bo5 format, ensuring maximum competitiveness.
- Most importantly, 6 qualified teams battle for 2 tickets to First Stand 2026.
- As a result, every series carries significant pressure and strategic depth.
LCK Cup 2026 Schedule
LCK Cup 2026 Match Schedule
(Source: Fanpage LCK)
You can watch the matches on the LCK YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LCKglobal
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Quynh Bui 
