LPL 2026 Split 1 viewer’s guide
The official 2026 League of Legends (LoL) esports season is about to begin in China with the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) Split 1 event. This event, alongside other regional tournaments, leads up to First Stand 2026 (16 to 22 March), the first big international LAN of the year.
It’s of the utmost importance for all teams competing, as they fight for a chance to represent their region. Let’s dive in so you have all the essential LPL 2026 Split 1 information at hand.
LPL 2026 Split 1 details
The LPL 2026 Split 1 event kicks off this week, on Wednesday, 14 January 2026. It runs until early March 2026, and takes place on LAN in China at various locations depending on the stage of competition.
It all begins with a Regular Season, where teams are split into 3 groups based on overall LPL performance in 2025.
- The top six teams are placed into Ascend.
- The next four teams are placed into Perseverance.
- The bottom four teams are placed into Nirvana.
The top four teams from the Ascend group advance directly to the Knockout Stage. The others who survive the Regular Season will fight in the Knights Rivals stage. In the Knights Rivals stage, the format is a hybrid elimination best-of-five. The four winners advance to the Knockout Stage.
Ascend Group teams:
- Bilibili Gaming
- Anyone’s Legend
- Top Esports
- Invictus Gaming
- JD Gaming
- Weibo Gaming
Perseverance Group teams:
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Team WE
- EDward Gaming
- ThunderTalk Gaming
Nirvana Group teams:
- LGD Gaming
- Ultra Prime
- LNG Esports
- Oh My God
The format gets way less complicated in the Knockout Stage, where there’s a double-elimination bracket format, featuring the Fearless Draft system, and all matches are best-of-five. The top two LPL 2026 Split 1 teams will represent the region at First Stand 2026.
League of Legends esports fans can tune in to watch all the LPL 2026 Split 1 action via the official HUYA and BiliBili channels. In case you don’t have the time to watch it all, we’ll bring you the results and final standings as we head into our First Stand 2026 coverage.
Header image via Riot Games.
