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The 2026 League of Legends esports calendar is now fully confirmed. Riot announced the MSI and Worlds venues at the First Stand finals on March 22. From Daejeon to Brooklyn, every date and city is locked in. Here's everything you need to know.
The first international event of the 2026 LoL season was First Stand. It ran March 16-22 in São Paulo, Brazil, at Riot Games' official arena. Eight teams competed in a best-of-five format, with every series carrying knockout pressure. Read the First Stand 2026 team analysis for the full breakdown of each team going in.
This was the first real test of which regions showed up in form early in the season. The field was stacked and the format unforgiving — one bad series and everything unraveled fast. See how the international qualifying bracket played out in the knockouts. In the end, , with Bin claiming MVP honors.
The Mid-Season Invitational heads to the Daejeon Convention Center (DCC), Hall 2 in Daejeon, South Korea. Confirmed dates: June 28 to July 12, 2026. It's the first time Daejeon has ever hosted an international LoL event.
The full schedule:
11 teams compete this year: LCK x2, LCS x2, LCP x2, LEC x2, LPL x2, and CBLOL x1. CBLOL earned an extra international slot in 2026, which is why they send one team to MSI. Watch for defending First Stand champions BLG — they enter the season as the team to beat heading into South Korea.
New format for the Play-In: The Play-In Stage is now a 4-team double-elimination bracket, with only 1 team advancing to the Bracket Stage. That's a tighter gate than in previous years, meaning every Play-In match is make-or-break.
MSI brings together the top teams from each region after the Spring Split. In 2026, the stakes are higher than ever: MSI awards two additional Worlds slots, meaning a strong run here directly shapes your region's bracket at the World Championship.
Tickets on sale:
Source: Riot Games / LoL Esports
The 2026 World Championship makes history by splitting across three US cities. It's the first time since 2013 that Worlds spans multiple venues in the same country. Each phase has its own home:
CBLOL gets extra Worlds slots this year, so South American teams have more paths to the biggest stage in the game. 🎉
Between these flagship events, the regional leagues (LEC, LCS, LCK, LPL...) run at full speed. Spring Splits kick off in late March and run through June; Summer Splits take over from July through October.
Each split determines who represents their region on the world stage. This is where rosters are proven and upsets happen. Track the current meta shifts from Patch 26.7 and follow champion power on the LoL Meta page, updated in real time.
Ready to test your skills ahead of Worlds? Join a competitive ladder with real prize pools on Amber.gg and see where you stack up against the best players in your region.
