LCS 2026 Lock-In Viewer Guide: Datoer, tidsplan, format og deltagende teams

The League Championship Series 2026 Lock-In marks the 16th split in LCS history, signaling the tournament's return after a year-long hiatus taken for the launch of the LTA, while simultaneously kicking off the 2026 season. Let us take a look at what this revival has in store for us, including a breakdown of the tournament formats, dates, and teams, as well as an analysis of what to expect from the competition.

LCS 2026 Lock-In Format and Dates

The LCS 2026 Lock-In tournament is scheduled to begin on January 24, 2026. While the exact conclusion date has not been confirmed yet, it is known that all leagues must finish their splits by March 3. The tournament will consist of two stages: the Swiss Stage and the Playoffs.

Swiss Stage

During the Swiss Stage, all matches will be played in a best-of-three (Bo3) format. Performance during this stage will determine team placement in the tournament bracket and their further progression in the championship.

Teams finishing the stage with a 3–0 record will earn the right to choose their opponent from the pool of teams with a 2–1 record for the upper bracket matches. Meanwhile, teams that finish with a 0–3 record will be eliminated from the tournament.

The placement of participants with a 1–2 record will be determined by their game performance. The team with the best game record in this group will automatically advance to the lower bracket as the 5th seed. The remaining two teams will compete in a last-chance tie-breaker match to determine the recipient of the 6th seed.

Playoffs

The final stage of the tournament will follow a Double Elimination format. All matches during this stage will be played as best-of-five (Bo5) series using the Fearless Draft mode, which prohibits the repeated selection of characters within a single series.

The winner of the playoffs will secure the championship title and direct qualification for the 2026 First Stand Tournament. The remaining participants will be ranked based on the stage at which they are eliminated from the bracket.

LCS 2026 Lock-In Teams

A total of eight teams will participate in the LCS 2026 Lock-In. This is fewer than in the European region, which announced a new format increasing the number of participants from the usual 10 to 12. LEC Versus 2026 is an experimental project that could have a very positive impact on the entire scene, including the future of the LCS region.

Participating teams:

• Cloud9
• Dignitas
• FlyQuest
• LYON
• Sentinels
• Shopify Rebellion
• Team Liquid
• Disguised

Let’s take a closer look at the teams and their rosters for this tournament. Almost every team has made roster changes, and each lineup now looks even more interesting.

What to Expect from the LCS 2026 Lock-In 2026?

The first team that will be extremely interesting to watch is Sentinels. They have taken the spot of 100 Thieves, who recently left the league, and their roster is quite intriguing: effectively, all five players are Korean. While most of them have been playing in North America for a long time and hold resident status, the presence of a fully Korean roster in the LCS is a unique case. It will be fascinating to see how far they can go with this level of synergy and shared cultural background.

The second key participant is FlyQuest. Last year, they delivered an excellent performance and came within a step of the Worlds 2025 playoffs. Despite this success, the organization decided to make changes, bringing in young players Gryffinn and Cryogen. This represents a significant risk, but also a major opportunity for the newcomers. It is expected that their energy and "hunger" for victory will keep the team's veterans sharp and help maintain their leadership in the region.

LYON has managed to secure top-tier players for their key positions. First is the experienced jungler Inspired. He has repeatedly led his teams to championships and knows exactly what it takes to win in the LCS. Joining him is the marksman Berserker. His previous season in the Korean league (with Freecs) was challenging due to the team's overall results, but he consistently maintained a high level of individual performance. The return of such an ADC to North America, paired with Inspired, makes LYON one of the most dangerous title contenders.

Overall, all teams have made compelling roster changes, making them highly competitive not only within their own region but also on the international stage. As a result, the matches are expected to be very close and engaging. This also applies to the LCK Cup 2026, which will feature high-caliber matchups. Considering that the LCK is already regarded as the strongest region, the interesting roster moves made for the 2026 season promise an incredibly spectacular competition.