Cloud9 just finished a perfect split, going 7-0 in the regular season. In fact, they’ve yet to lose a regular season game in 2026. If we exclude the short splits, they’re only the second team to achieve this, ironically following Team Liquid in Summer 2024.
Will they once again fail to win the LCS playoffs, or is it finally their time?
In the final week of the LCS Spring Split 2026, Cloud9 faced Team Liquid in a fight for first place, also involving LYON. C9 completed their domination of the Spring Split by beating their theoretical rivals without making it close.
The first game was all C9’s, as they won every single fight. Claiming small advantage after small advantage, these skirmishes built up to an uncontested victory.
The second game had Team Liquid fighting back. Off to a strong early lead, they controlled the entire map for the first 20 minutes of the game.
Then, they started making mistakes. Losing their lead bit by bit, it also became apparent that their team comp was soon approaching its expiration date.
In the mid game, TLAW played all teamfights terribly, disrespecting enemy threats and overall positioning poorly. Soon, what lead they once had turned into a distant memory, and C9 closed out the series 2-0.
Cloud9 is the second ever team to pull off the perfect regular season in an LCS split. Image source: Stefan Wisnoski
In recent years, C9 has consistently done great in the regular season, only to lose in the playoffs just one step before qualifying for the upcoming international. Cloud9 hasn’t attended a single Riot international since 2023, never mind winning a split.
| Split | Regular season placement and score | Playoffs placement | Playoffs placement required for qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2024 | 3rd (8-6) | 3rd | Top two |
| Summer 2024 | 2nd (6-1) | 4th | Top three |
| Split 1 2025 | N/A | 3rd/4th | Top one |
| Split 2 2025 | 1st (9-1) | 2nd | Top one |
| Split 3 2025 | 1st (3-0) | 4th | Top three |
| Lock-in 2026 | 1st (3-0) | 2nd | Top one |
In recent years, C9 has become one of the LoL teams that choke the most – always at the top but never converting this into anything.
With their gameplay in the LCS Spring Split, it looks like they’re going toe-to-toe with LYON. Behind them, FlyQuest can beat them, and Team Liquid seems too far gone for it. Sentinels is also a dark horse that could pull an upset.
Going off of this and their history, it doesn’t look great for Cloud9. The setup is all there for them to fall once more after climbing even higher.
There are two points going in their favor, though. First, C9 has shown great resilience and a strong ability to claw back in lost games. That being said, they’ve had that before and it hasn’t prevented other teams from breaking them come playoffs.
Second though, Cloud9 always barely falls short. Even though it happened six times in a row, it’s most of the time by close margins. It’ll only take small things going differently for them to succeed.
LYON has greater odds of winning the split than they do, but C9 could definitely qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational this time.
Featured image source: Stefan Wisnoski / Riot Games
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