Riot Games is restructuring how teams reach the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP). Starting in 2027, every team will play its regular splits in its home league, the PCS, VCS or LJL, and the top finishers from each will advance to the LCP, according to a Riot press release published on September 21 and reported by Esports Insider and Esports.gg.
Under the current model, LCP teams are based in the regional league full time, and domestic sides get a single chance each year to move up through the Promotion Series, with one or two slots available per league. The new system gives every PCS, VCS and LJL team a qualification opportunity in each split. The LCP becomes a regional bracket stage that decides which APAC teams go to international events, and it remains the region's only route to them.
What changes
- Teams move their operations back to their home regions instead of being based in Taipei.
- Wild Card regions keep a Promotion Series route into the LCP.
- Current LCP teams, including those promoted or retained through the Promotion Series, continue to receive Regional Global Revenue Pool (GRP) support.
- Any team that qualifies for a global event becomes eligible for Global Event GRP.
Why Riot is changing course
Riot named relocation costs as a main reason for the change. Basing teams outside their home markets pushed up operating expenses and limited in-person fan engagement, the publisher said. It also cited player welfare, pointing to the long stretches players spent away from their support networks.
The decision follows two seasons of the centralized format. Esports Insider noted that the 2025 Mid-Season Finals reached a peak of close to 500,000 viewers and that CTBC Flying Oyster made the Worlds 2025 quarterfinals, the region's best Worlds finish since 2015. Team Secret Whales went on to win every 2026 LCP title, according to the same outlet.
Riot has not yet confirmed slot distribution, format details or how Wild Card integration will work. It said more information will come through the league's official channels in the coming months, and organizers interested in running Wild Card tournaments connected to the LCP are expected to receive application guidance.
