LCK Kicks Off Next Month... 9 of 10 Teams Pick Same Title Favorite

Gen.G Esports has once again been named a strong favorite to win this season among teams in League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK). The LCK plans to actively support domestic and overseas roadshows this year as it aims to further establish itself as premium global content.
According to the games industry on the 30th, at the 2026 LCK media day held the previous day at LoL Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, 9 out of the 10 LCK teams picked defending domestic league champions Gen.G Esports as the strongest title contender this year.
Park Jun-seok, head coach of BNK FearX, said, "Judging from recent tournaments and scrims (practice matches), Gen.G seems to be playing very well."
Go "Score" Dong-bin, head coach of KT Rolster, also chose Gen.G, explaining, "I think they are the team that makes the fewest mistakes." By contrast, Gen.G head coach Yoo Sang-wook pointed to their domestic league rival T1 as his pick.
A total of 20 people, including the 10 head coaches and their representative players, attended the event to share their goals and ambitions for the upcoming season. Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) said, "I will show how much I learn and grow through our matches."
The 2026 LCK regular season will kick off on April 1 next month with opening matches between Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) and HANJIN BRION, and between T1 and KT Rolster.
This year, the LCK will step up efforts to broaden its reach by spreading major events across key cities nationwide, including the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) qualifier, international tournaments, and the season finals.
The MSI qualifier, "Road to MSI," will take place in June in Wonju, Gangwon Province. The MSI itself is scheduled to be held in Daejeon from June through July. The LCK Finals Week, which will determine the season’s ultimate champion, will be staged in September at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park, Seoul.
LCK Secretary General Lee Jeong-hoon stated, "This year, our goal is for various LCK teams not only to expand their touchpoints with fans in Korea, but also to head overseas and broaden their stage, evolving into premium global content enjoyed across generations." He added, "Since this year’s international MSI will be held in Daejeon, we will provide the strongest possible support at the league level."
wongood@fnnews.com Reporter Joo Won-gyu Reporter