All you need to know about LCK Cup 2026: format, schedule, coach comms

Riot Games has released the full schedule for the LCK Cup, the first serious Korean League of Legends esports event of 2026.

This will directly follow up from the LCK 2026 Season Opening exhibition, where mono-role teams will battle in a tournament.

This year, the First Stand international event will give the LCK and LPL two slots instead of one.

Because of this, both LCK Cup finalists will qualify for the first international LoL tournament of the year.

LCK CUP DRAFT 결과 #LCK pic.twitter.com/KAPSGQxs6C

— 𝙏.𝘽𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙂¹⁰ (@t_bling_zeus) January 6, 2026

LCK Cup 2026 format

All 10 LCK teams will participate and have been drawn into two groups, Elder and Baron, in the following draw:

• Group Baron
  • Gen.G
  • T1
  • Nongshin Redforce
  • DN SOOPers
  • HANJIN BRION
• Group Elder
  • Hanwha Life Esports
  • Dplus KIA
  • KT Rolster
  • BNK FEARX
  • DRX

The opening round will see teams play in a single-round robin of best-of-threes against teams from the opposite group.

The group with the most points will be declared the “Winners Group” with the top two advancing.

Then the other group will be declared the “Losers Group” with the top team advancing and the bottom being eliminated.

To fill in the remaining Playoff spots, the rest of the teams will compete in a Play-In bracket with the top three advancing.

From there, teams will compete in best-of-fives to determine the LCK Cup champions and the two LCK First Stand representatives.

How will Coach Comms work in the LCK Cup?

I think this is going to be a really interesting addition to the game, and allow the coaches even more influence over the game. It's pretty frequently utilized in other Esports so I'm excited to see how this plays out https://t.co/s5OqoCFVt3

— Bluepanda (@bluepanda_casts) December 3, 2025

After the success of Fearless Draft being introduced to LoL esports last year, Riot Games are experimenting again.

This year, Riot is trialling a new feature called ‘Coach Comms’, which will allow a coach to talk with their players during a game.

This will feature initially in just the LCP Regular Season and LCK Cup.

However, the feature won’t be mandatory; teams will have to decide whether they want to enable Coach Comms before each match, and can’t change their minds.

Riot claims that allowing coaches a short window to communicate with their players live will allow for immediate strategic adjustments and additional depth for viewers.

The rules for Coach Comms are:

• Each team may activate Coach Comms up to three times per game.
• Each activation lasts 45 seconds.
• Coach Comms is performed without pausing the game.
• Teams must nominate one coach before the game begins. This coach is the only person allowed to communicate with players.
• The nominated coach has to stay in a designated area and may only view the team-only player POV (no spectator modes or opponent information).
• All external communication devices are strictly prohibited until the game ends.
• The nominated coach can only be changed between games, not during one.

These moments of the coaches discussing with players will not be broadcast, so viewers will not be able to hear what is said.

LCK Cup 2026 schedule

[2026 LCK CUP] 대회 일정 안내

1월 14일(수), 2026 LCK CUP이 시작됩니다! 🔥

장로 그룹과 바론 그룹이 펼치는
새로운 시즌에서의 승부!#2026LCKCUP 에 대한 보다 자세한 내용은 추후 LCK 공식 채널을 통해 확인하실 수 있습니다.

...
[2026 LCK CUP] Schedule Announcement
The 2026 LCK CUP… pic.twitter.com/oGbQn0mP6f

— LCK (@LCK) January 6, 2026

The LCK Cup will begin on January 14th and conclude with the final on March 1st.

The full schedule for the opening round of the LCK Cup 2026 is as follows:

• January 14th – KT Rolster vs DN SOOPers
• January 14th – Dplus KIA vs BRION
• January 15th – Gen.G Esports vs DRX
• January 15th – BNK FEARX vs Nongshim RedForce
• January 16th – DN SOOPers vs Dplus KIA
• January 16th – Hanwha Life Esports vs T1
• January 17th – BRION vs BNK FEARX
• January 17th – Gen.G Esports vs KT Rolster
• January 18th – Nongshim RedForce vs Hanwha Life Esports
• January 18th – DRX vs T1
• January 21st – Dplus KIA vs Nongshim RedForce
• January 21st – DRX vs DN SOOPers
• January 22nd – BRION vs Hanwha Life Esports
• January 22nd – BNK FEARX vs Gen.G Esports
• January 23rd – KT Rolster vs T1
• January 23rd – Nongshim RedForce vs DRX
• January 24th – Hanwha Life Esports vs DN SOOPers
• January 24th – Dplus KIA vs Gen.G Esports
• January 25th – T1 vs BNK FEARX
• January 25th – KT Rolster vs BRION
• January 28th – BRION vs DRX
• January 29th – DN SOOPers vs BNK FEARX
• January 30th – Nongshim RedForce vs KT Rolster
• January 31st – T1 vs Dplus KIA
• February 1st – Hanwha Life Esports vs Gen.G Esports

LCK Cup must-see matches

https://twitter.com/Caedrel/status/2000185810377916875?s=20

The headline matchup of the LCK Cup will be between World Champions T1 and Hanwha Life Esports on January 16th.

And it just so happens to be both teams’ first official match of 2026.

LoL Worlds 2025 MVP Lee ‘Gumayusi’ Min-hyeong leaving T1 for HLE was the biggest move of the offseason.

Watching Gumayusi take on the organisation he won three World Championships with for the first time in a competitive series will be fascinating.

Additionally, January 31st will see T1 take on another of their former ADCs after Shin ‘Smash’ Geum-jae joined Dplus KIA.

And the final T1 match-up to look out for is January 23rd, as they will face KT Rolster in a rematch of the LoL Worlds final.

Similarly, January 17th will be a fun watch as Gen.G try to get revenge on KT for eliminating them from last year’s Worlds.