LCS and CBLoL to return as independent leagues for the 2026 season

Jordan Marney Published September 29, 2025

This move comes after a year of turmoil within the community, prompting Riot to reverse the decision and halt the bleeding in North America. The announcement that the LCS and CBLOL would be merged to create a singular independent League of the Americas, or LTA, wasn’t too well-received by the community. There were several issues involved with the decision, including the NA and SA teams being forced to compete against each other despite the apparent difference in skill. After just a year of launching the LTA, Riot Games announced that the league will be getting abolished in favor of how things used to be again. The company also expanded on its decision, informing fans of how the two leagues will work.

Riot provided details to the media regarding the changes coming to the LCS, now that they are once again their own entity, with many more on the way, during their announcement today, Sept. 29. Here is everything that has changed thus far for the LCS and CBLoL for the 2026 season.

Cross-conference play is gone

Riot announced during the press release that cross-regional play will be a thing of the past. This officially ends the merger between North America and Brazil. Riot stated:

“While cross-regional play brought excitement and valuable opportunities for teams to face international opponents, we’ll continue to explore ways to deliver those moments without disrupting the regular season or regional progression.”

The removal of cross-conference play will see more domestic game days, accommodating the time spent travelling to and from Brazil and North America.

“This creates room for longer splits and simpler formats, making schedules easier to follow, giving teams more time on stage to hone their skills, and providing stronger support for competitive play throughout the year.”

Changes to international seeding

With the return of independent leagues, Riot has announced there will be changes to seeding for its international events in 2026. Below you can see a full breakdown of how the seeds will be distributed across LCS and CBLoL:

• First Stand: LCS and CBLOL will each qualify one team
• MSI: LCS will qualify two teams; CBLOL will qualify one team
• Worlds: LCS will qualify three teams; CBLOL will qualify one team

The CBLOL may not be allowed to send as many teams as the LCS in MSI and Worlds, but SA teams being part of an independent league will let teams of that region get a fair shot at qualifying.

Is the LLA also returning in competitive League of Legends?

The LLA will not be returning as an independent League of Legends league, but Latin American teams will continue to compete within the LCS and CBLOL.

According to the official announcement blog, the LCS will support all of North and Central America, while CBLOL will unite South American teams. There are some exceptions to this matter. For example, LYON will continue to be associated with the LCS as a partner team, despite being a South American team, while Leviatán will remain partnered with CBLOL.

The LCS and CBLOL will also continue to feature guest slots for teams from other regions and leagues. All in all, the changes aren’t too drastic for the LCS and CBLOL leagues. By ensuring both leagues remain independent, Riot Games will hopefully retain the identities that both leagues have built over the years, while keeping things from getting overly complicated.

Riot remains positioned to continue supporting the Latin American League of Legends scene, but unfortunately, this does not see the return of the beloved LLA.

Featured image credit: Riot Games / X (@lolesports)