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!
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