League Championship Series 2026 Lock-In is the 16th LCS split and the return following a one-year hiatus to make way for the LTA, as well as the first split of 2026 season. Former partner team 100 Thieves left the league after 8 years, their replacement Sentinels was announced on October 10th, 2025. . The top team will qualify for the 2026 First Stand Tournament, which will be held in Brazil, as announced on January 2025.

Tournament Format

Swiss Stage
Matches are Bo3The 3–0 team will choose their opponent from among the 2–1 teams for the upper bracket.
The 0–3 team will be eliminated.

Among the 1–2 teams, the one with the best game record will auto-advance as the 5th seed in the lower bracket.The remaining two teams will compete in a last-chance tie-breaker to claim the 6th seed.

PlayoffsDouble Elimination, all matches are Bo5
Top winner qualifies for 2026 First Stand Tournament

All matches are played under Fearless Draft rules