Who won LCP 2026 Split 1, and what can we expect from Spring Split?

Mar 31, 2026 | News On Japan

Mar 31, 2026 (News On Japan) - The first League of Legends Pacific League Spring Split marked the end of CTBC Flying Oyster's dominance and brought several other surprising twists.

How did LCP 2026 Split 1 go, and what can we expect from the region's top teams in the Spring Split? We'll tell you all about it in our 1xBet review.

Regional leagues new structure

In 2025, Riot Games revamped the regional league structure, introducing the brand-new League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP). Now, the best teams in the Pacific region compete in the LCP without prematurely crossing paths with elite teams from Korea (LCK) and China (LCP). Thanks to the Promotion series tournaments, the best teams from the PCS, VCS, LJL, and OPQ leagues have the chance to compete in the LCP season. At the end of last year, Deep Cross Gaming earned promotion by winning all three PCS splits in 2025.

CTBC Flying Oyster was the clear leader of the first LCP season, winning all three regional slots and taking part in all three international tournaments: FST, MSI, and Worlds. This team was named Team of the Year, and 18-year-old mid laner Tsai “hongQ” Ming-hong was named Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and Finals MVP.

After the season ended, Riot Games kicked one of the region's strongest teams, PSG Talon, out of the league for “failing to meet league standards, especially significant delays in payments to players and coaches.” Ground Zero took their spot in the league.

LCP 2026 Winter Split results

LCP 2026 Split 1 started on January 16 and ended on March 1, 2026. Secret Whales and newcomers Deep Cross Gaming were the best teams in the regular season, each with an identical 6-1 record. GAM Esports and Ground Zero rounded out the top four (4-3), while CTBC Flying Oyster and SoftBank HAWKS (3-4) were the last teams to advance to the playoffs. MVK Esports managed only 2 wins in their first 5 games (2-5), and DetonatioN FocusMe failed to celebrate a single victory (0-7)!

GAM Esports and CTBC Flying Oyster were the first to leave the playoffs. The result of last season's best team was unpleasant but expected. During the offseason, three players from the winning lineup left the squad (hongQ, JunJia, and Kaiwing), so it was clear the Oysters would not repeat last year's success.

In the second round of the playoffs, the regular-season leaders, Secret Whales and Deep Cross Gaming, made it clear they would not let anyone interfere with their fight for the title, winning their matches with identical 3-1 scores. The upper bracket final was a rehearsal for the grand final, with the only difference being that in the first match, Secret Whales beat DCG 3-2, and in the second, they secured a clean 3-0 victory.

As a result, Secret Whales will represent the region at the top international tournament, the 2026 First Stand Tournament in São Paulo, for the second consecutive time. Their first appearance came at the 2025 Worlds. The MVP of the Spring Split was the winners’ mid laner, Dire, who collected a total of four MVP awards during the season.

LCP 2026 Spring Split predictions

LCP 2026 Split 2 will start on April 4 and last until June 7, 2026. All league participants will have a whole month to rest and train. Only Secret Whales will spend their vacation more actively, competing against the world's best teams in Brazil.

Judging by the results at the start of the season, the Spring Split is once again likely to feature a rivalry between Secret Whales and Deep Cross Gaming. For now, they clearly outperform the rest of the regional competition, although SoftBank HAWKS, Ground Zero, and GAM Esports could still challenge them. Meanwhile, a return to the top for CTBC Flying Oyster seems unlikely, just as a major improvement from MVK Esports and DetonatioN FocusMe is not expected.

As a reminder, based on the results of LCP 2026 Split 2, the best team in the region will go straight to two top tournaments – Mid-Season Invitational 2026 and Esports World Cup 2026. That is why the struggle for victory will be as intense and exciting as it can be!

Follow the clashes in the LCP with 1xBet, and you will always be up to date with the most interesting events from the League of Legends world!

Record Rain Triggers Level 5 Warning in Fukui

Record rainfall caused 19 rivers to overflow across Fukui Prefecture, flooding roads and homes, triggering landslides and temporarily forcing authorities to issue the highest-level heavy rain emergency warning from early Sunday morning.

Drones Deliver Supplies to Residents Cut Off by Landslide

Drones were used to deliver food and daily necessities to an isolated mountain community in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, on August 30 after torrential rain triggered a landslide that cut off road access, while volunteers continued flood recovery work in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture.

Typhoon No. 23 Overtakes No. 22 East of Japan as Both Head North

Two typhoons east of Japan were moving northward on August 30, with Typhoon No. 23 (Banlan) overtaking Typhoon No. 22 (Artau), although neither storm is expected to have a direct impact on Japan.

Nine-Minute Drone Video Shows Scale of Aeon Mall Damage

A 9-minute, 13-second drone video filmed inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto two days after the deadly explosion has provided a detailed view of the destruction, showing collapsed ceilings, heavy dust and widespread damage that may have affected between one-third and nearly half of the shopping center.

Conditions Ease as Typhoon No. 18 Passes Okinawa

Strong Typhoon No. 18 was moving northwest through the East China Sea on the night of August 26, gradually pulling away from Okinawa and the Amami Islands as lingering rain, strong winds and high waves were expected to ease. As of 9 p.m. on August 26, the typhoon was over waters north-northwest of Kume Island and moving northwest.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Sports NEWS

Children Try Cricket Ahead of Asian Games

Families and children tried their hand at cricket at an event in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, on August 29, designed to build interest in the sport ahead of its competition at the Asian Games.

Scoop on National Goldfish Scooping Championship

Around 1,500 competitors from across Japan gathered in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, for the National Goldfish Scooping Championship, testing their skills in three-minute contests to determine the country's best goldfish scoopers.

Japan Team Holds Ceremony One Month Before Asian Games

Japan's delegation for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held a team formation ceremony at a hotel in Tokyo on August 19, exactly one month before the competition opens, with wrestler Akari Fujinami pledging that the athletes would "fight through to the very end" on home soil.

Asian Games Plans Evacuation Measures

Organizers of the Asian Games and Asian Para Games are preparing evacuation plans for athletes and officials staying in temporary container houses and a cruise ship at Nagoya Port, with around 20,000 participants and related personnel expected to visit Aichi Prefecture during the 23-day competition period beginning September 19.

Japan's Top High School Gamers Battle for National Esports Crown

STAGE:0, one of Japan's largest esports tournaments for high school students, has opened in Osaka, bringing together more than 2,000 teams from across the country to compete for the title of national champion.

Teqball Eyes Breakthrough at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

Teqball, a sport combining elements of soccer and table tennis, will make its Asian Games debut when the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games open in September, giving Japan's players a major opportunity to raise the profile of a discipline that has so far attracted relatively little attention domestically.

Alpen Flagship Store Opens in Osaka

Major sporting goods retailer Alpen is opening Alpen OSAKA, one of the largest sports and lifestyle stores in the Kansai region, at the former Uniqlo site in Osaka's Chayamachi district, with six floors offering everything from running shoes and golf equipment to hands-on product testing.

CDI and NYRA Create New 3-Year-Old Championship Series, Leaving Preakness S. Effectively Isolated

On August 3, 2026, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced the launch of the "Thoroughbred Championship Series" to determine the top 3-year-old thoroughbred, starting next season, as reported by Sponichi Annex.

< 2 3 4 5 >