LCK moves weekend 3pm fixtures as EU viewership grows

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 08/01/2026

Riot Games has moved the 3 pm KST (Korean Standard Time) start time for weekend fixtures, instead beginning weekend matches at the usual 5 pm mark used for weekdays.

The change marks a reversal of policy introduced by Riot in 2023, who had initially moved the start time to 3 pm to conclude Korean matches earlier in the day, leaving space for other regional contests, including the LEC.

Why did LCK change weekend start times?

Riot made no direct statement regarding the change, however Korean media has reported that the change is primarily driven by “increased overseas viewership.”

A post on Korean content aggregator Inven, quotes an unnamed ‘Riot official,’ who reportedly stated, “Global viewership has grown significantly in recent years, and considering various factors such as business aspects, we have set the weekend game time to 5 pm, which is the same as on weekdays.” (translated)

The article especially emphasises the effect of the growing European viewership, partially as a result of popular teams and figures such as T1’s Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok.

In the case of UK time zones, the change sees the opening fixtures of the weekend move from 6 am to 8 am GMT (7 am to 9 am CET).

The move, therefore, is undoubtedly beneficial for those European fans who do not want to ruin their sleep schedules to watch Faker and co.

Yet, as is always the case with time zones, one region’s benefit is to the detriment of another.

Fans in North and South America will suffer as a result of the change, bringing the start time to impractically late hours for much of the US population.

The move will see the first match begin at 1 am EST, in contrast to the previous 11 pm start.

On the West Coast, the start time has now moved from 8 pm to 10 pm .

Despite the hindrances, the change unifies all LCK start times, allowing fans to consistently plan around fixtures at the same time of day.

The LCK will kick off its 2026 season on January 9 with its Season Opening invitational event, which sees teams made up of players of different roles play out an exhibition tournament.

The season proper will begin on January 14, with the opening LCK Cup contest between KT Rolster and DN SOOPers.

The LCK Cup 2026 sees coaches be given the power to speak at three 45-second intervals during the contest of their choosing.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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