The League of Legends Season 2026 has begun, and with it, competitive play for LoL has resumed. Let’s have a look at the upcoming LoL events in 2026.
With professional teams being banned from attending events that aren’t sanctioned by Riot, the events will remain the same as in 2025, structure aside.
Watch as the best LoL teams battle it out on the path to the World Championship, with our breakdown of all upcoming LoL events in 2026.
| Event | Date | Type | Location | Teams | Prize Pool and Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 2026 Versus | January 17th – March 1st | Regional S-Tier | Berlin, Germany (Europe) | 12 | One First Stand 2026 spot |
| LCS 2026 Lock-In | January 24th – March 1st | Regional S-Tier | Los Angeles, US (North America) | 8 | One First Stand 2026 spot Two Americas Cup spots (2nd and 3rd place) |
| LCK Cup 2026 | January 14th – March 1st | Regional S-Tier | Seoul, South Korea (Korea) | 10 | Two First Stand 2026 spots |
| LPL 2026 Split 1 | January 14th – March 8th | Regional S-Tier | Shanghai, China (China) | 14 | Two First Stand 2026 spots Split 2 Seeding |
| LCP 2026 Split 1 | January 16th – March 1st | Regional S-Tier | Taipei, Taiwan (Asia Pacific) | 6 | One First Stand 2026 spot |
Kicking off the LoL Esports calendar, January and February are the months of the Winter split of regional competition in League of Legends. The prize pool for the events wasn’t disclosed, but the teams are fighting to earn the spot to represent their region at First Stand, the first international tournament of the year.
For more information on the Winter split, head here: Season Start 2026: LoL Esports Updates
| Event | Date | Type | Location | Teams | Prize Pool and Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Americas Cup 2026 | Early March | S-Tier (Special) | Brazil (Americas) | 4 | Funded bootcamp during MSI |
| EMEA Masters 2026 Winter | March 9th – March 15th | Regional A-Tier | Online / Berlin, Germany (Europe) | 16 | €40,000 |
| First Stand 2026 | March 16th – March 22nd | International S-Tier | São Paulo, Brazil (International) | 8 | TBA |
March is when the regional leagues take a breather as their representatives face off on the international stage. First Stand is the Winter international. Premiered in 2025, this is the tournament the best LoL players will have their eyes on that month.
Taking place before First Stand, the Americas Cup is a new cross-Americas tournament, between the 2nd and 3rd best teams of the North and South. Lastly, the EMEA Masters is the tournament opposing all of the best teams from the European Regional Leagues.
First Stand, the first international among upcoming LoL events. Image Source: LoL Esports
| Event | Date | Type | Location | Teams | Prize Pool and Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 2026 Spring | Early April – Early June | Regional S-Tier | Berlin, Germany (Europe) | 10 | Two MSI 2026 and EWC 2026 spots |
| LCS 2026 Spring | Early April – Early June | Regional S-Tier | Los Angeles, US (North America) | 8 | Two MSI 2026 and EWC 2026 spots |
| LCK 2026 Rounds 1-2 | Early April – Early June | Regional S-Tier | Seoul, South Korea (Korea) | 10 | Two MSI 2026 and EWC 2026 spots |
| LPL 2026 Split 2 | Early April – Early June | Regional S-Tier | Shanghai, China (China) | 14 | Two MSI 2026 and EWC 2026 spots |
| LCP 2026 Split 2 | April 4th – Early June | Regional S-Tier | Taipei, Taiwan (Asia Pacific) | 6 | Two MSI 2026 and EWC 2026 spots |
Like January and February, April and May are the months of the Spring split of regional competition. Each region holds another Round Robin or similar form of competition, and the top two teams represent their region at the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational and Esports World Cup 2026.
The exact dates of the Spring Split (or equivalent) aren’t public yet. Each tournament begins between the end of March and the start of April, and ends around late May and mid-June.
With the Winter split and First Stand allowing to give a good grasp of the teams’ strengths in 2026, this is the best time to get into LoL esports betting.
| Event | Date | Type | Location | Teams | Prize Pool and Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional playoffs | First half of June | Regional S-Tier | Special | Special | MSI 2026 and EWC 2026 spots |
| EMEA Masters 2026 Spring | June 8th – June 25th | Regional A-Tier | Berlin, Germany (Europe) | 32 | €60,000 |
| 2026 Mid-Season Invitational | June 26th – July 12th | International S-Tier | Daejeon, South Korea (International) | 11 | TBA |
In June, all regional leagues finish their playoffs. Afterwards, the best teams battle at MSI 2026. The prize pool of that event hasn’t been announced yet, but was $2,000,000 in 2025.
Meanwhile, the EMEA Masters returns a second time just before MSI kicks off.
MSI, the international tournament in the middle of the LoL Esports calendar. Image Source: Riot Games
| Event | Date | Type | Location | Teams | Prize Pool and Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esports World Cup 2026 | July 15th – July 19th | International S-Tier | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (International) | 16 | TBA |
| LEC 2026 Summer | Late July – Early September | Regional S-Tier | Berlin, Germany (Europe) | 10 | Worlds 2026 spots |
| LCS 2026 Summer | Late July – Early September | Regional S-Tier | Los Angeles, US (North America) | 8 | Worlds 2026 spots |
| LCK 2026 Rounds 3-4 | Late July – September 13th | Regional S-Tier | Seoul and Incheon, South Korea (Korea) | 10 | Worlds 2026 spots |
| LPL 2026 Split 3 | Late July – Early September | Regional S-Tier | Shanghai, China (China) | 12 | Worlds 2026 spots |
| LCP 2026 Split 3 | July 24th – August 30th | Regional S-Tier | Taipei, Taiwan (Asia Pacific) | 6 | Worlds 2026 spots |
MSI keeps going in July, and is immediately followed by the Esports World Cup. EWC is a short tournament among the MSI teams and some more. It has a hefty prize pool, at a total of $75,000,000 split among the games.
Afterwards, it’s rinse and repeat with the Summer Split for regional competition. The third and final split of the year kicks off right after the teams come back from their internationals, and finishes at the beginning of September.
The most important of all three splits, it determines which tier 1 teams will go to Worlds. At the same time, ERL teams compete for a spot at the biggest EMEA Masters or for the promotion tournament of their region, to try to gain a tier 1 spot.
| Event | Date | Type | Location | Teams | Prize Pool and Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional playoffs | First half of September | Regional S-Tier | Special | Special | Worlds 2026 spots |
| Asian Games | September | International A-Tier | Aichi, Japan (Asia) | TBA | TBA |
| EMEA Masters Summer | September 21st – October 19th | Regional A-Tier | Berlin, Germany (Europe) | 32 | €100,000 |
| LCS/LPL/LCP Promotion tournaments | September – October | Regional A-Tier | Special | Special | Spots in the tier 1 league |
September is the resolution of all Summer, or even all year. In September and through October, tier 2 teams fight in their big moment, either on the EMEA Masters stage or for a spot in a tier 1 league.
At the same time, the S-Tier tournaments award the slots to play at the 2026 World Championship, the most important competition of all year. Lastly, the Asian Games return in 2026, and will once again have League of Legends as a category.
| Event | Date | Type | Location | Teams | Prize Pool and Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 World Championship | October 16th – November 14th | International S-Tier | Allen and New York, US (International) | 18 | Over $5,000,000 |
For tier 1 teams, October and November are about Worlds and Worlds only. The LoL World Championship runs for a month and will crown the 2026 champions. The whole year leads to that, and each team has to either step up or pack up and try again in 2027.
This time, Worlds are headed to North America, for the first time since DRX’s win against T1 in 2022.
The Summoner’s Cup that all upcoming LoL events eventually lead to. Image Source: Michal Konkol / Riot Games
| Event | Date | Type | Location | Teams | Prize Pool and Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bull League Of Its Own 2026 | December | Showmatch | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| KeSPA Cup 2026 | Early December | Regional A-Tier | Seoul, South Korea (Korea and guests) | TBA | TBA |
| Demacia Cup 2026 | December – Early January | Regional A-Tier | TBA (China) | TBA | TBA |
Lastly, after Worlds, December is the month of offseason tournaments. Rounding out the 2026 LoL Esports calendar, the KeSPA Cup and Demacia Cup are two tournaments where most teams don’t have their entire roster. Either they’re still forming their new one, or some of the players are on vacation. As a result, these tournaments aren’t taken very seriously, but they make for good practice for the young rosters.
Featured Image Source: Bartosz Plotka / Riot Games
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