LCS Summer 2026 Playoffs

The League of Legends Championship Series is the tier 1 competition in North America. In the LCS Summer 2026 Playoffs, the top six teams at the end of the regular season compete in a double-elimination best-of-five bracket.

Beyond the title of LCS Champion, this tournament qualifies the top three teams for the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. The fourth and fifth places instead qualify for the 2026 Demacia Cup taking place in October.

The LCS Summer Playoffs has an obvious top two in LYON and Team Liquid, with LYON as the favorite. Then, Cloud9 should be expected to finish in third place and snag the final Worlds spot. However, despite three years of consistently being among the best teams in the regular season (and usually finishing first), Cloud9 hasn’t qualified for an international since 2023. Nevermind winning a title.

Besides their loss to Sentinels when they had a substitute jungler, LYON didn’t lose a single game during the Summer Split. In the LCS Summer Playoffs, they will face Cloud9, then most likely Team Liquid twice. While those are the theoretical strongest opponents, LYON will be a safe bet in each series and for the title.