2025 LCP season

2025 LCP season
LeagueLCP
SportLeague of Legends
Duration
  • 17 January – 23 February
    (Season Kickoff)
  • 19 April – 8 June
    (Mid-Season)
  • 26 July – 21 September
    (Season Finals)
Number of teams8
Season Kickoff
ChampionsCTBC Flying Oyster
  Runners-upTalon
Season MVPYu "JunJia" Chun-chia
(CTBC Flying Oyster)
Mid-Season
ChampionsCTBC Flying Oyster
  Runners-upGAM Esports
Season MVPShen "Driver" Tsung-hua
(CTBC Flying Oyster)
Season Finals

The 2025 LCP season is the inaugural season of the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP), an Asia-Pacific esports league for the video game League of Legends by developer Riot Games and tournament organizer Carry International. The league launched with eight teams — four partner teams and four guest teams, all playing across three splits in line with the new three-split structure and competitive calendar introduced the game's developer Riot Games starting with the 2025 competitive season.[1] The season began on 17 January.

Notable events

  • On 11 June 2024, Riot Games announced in a blog post titled "LoL Esports: Building Towards A Brighter Future" that a new eight-team Asia-Pacific league would be formed to become the new Tier 1 league in the region, replacing the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) and Vietnam Championship Series (VCS), which became Tier 2 leagues. The league would also feature a hybrid promotion and relegation system, with some teams being franchise partners of the league while others were "guests" that would be relegated.[2]
  • On 29 September 2024, the league would officially launch as the League of Legends Championship Pacific.[3]
  • Between 1 and 3 November 2024, the inaugural season format and teams were announced.
  • On 6 January 2025, it was announced that matches in the LCP would be played on the live patch,[4] making it the first professional league in Asia to do so, and the third after the now-defunct League Championship Series (now the League of Legends Championship of The Americas North Conference) and the League of Legends EMEA Championship.
  • On 16 March 2025, Riot Games announced that the "Fearless Draft" format, which was used during the LCP's Season Kickoff and the First Stand Tournament, would be used for the rest of 2025, including the LCP and international events.[5]
  • On 15 July 2025, PSG Esports resumed their partnership with Talon Esports, rebranding their League division back to PSG Talon after 6 months.[6]

Guest teams

Four guest teams are competing in the 2025 season - Secret Whales and MGN Vikings Esports from Vietnam, DetonatioN FocusMe from Japan, and Chiefs Esports Club from Australia.[7] The two bottom-ranked teams at the conclusion of Season Finals will compete in promotion and relegation tournament against the top teams from the Tier 2 leagues (currently consisting of the PCS, VCS, LJL and a "Wild Card" spot) based on their location.

Season Kickoff

Format

All eight (8) competing teams played in a single round-robin during the Regular Season, with all matches being contested in best-of-threes. The top six (6) teams progressed to the Double-elimination tournament Qualifying Series, which included a series of best-of-three and best-of-five matches, with the winner qualifying for the 2025 First Stand Tournament as the LCP's lone representative.[8]

The Season Kickoff implemented the "Fearless Draft" format, which was popularized by China's LoL Development League, where teams cannot pick a champion that they've already played in a series, even if the champion was picked by the opposing team. As mentioned above, it was also used during Mid-Season and will be used during Season Finals.

Regular season

Pos Team Pld W L PCT Qualification
1 Talon 7 6 1 .857 Advance to playoffs
2 CTBC Flying Oyster 7 6 1 .857
3 MGN Vikings Esports 7 5 2 .714
4 Secret Whales 7 5 2 .714
5 GAM Esports 7 3 4 .429
6 SoftBank Hawks 7 2 5 .286
7 DetonatioN FocusMe 7 1 6 .143
8 Chiefs Esports Club 7 0 7 .000
Updated to match(es) played on 14 February 2025. Source: LoL Esports

Qualifying Series

As the highest-ranked team in Round 1, MGN Vikings Esports had the chance to select their opponents. Talon also earned the right to select their opponents in Round 2 being the top seed.

Bracket

Upper quarterfinalsUpper semifinalsUpper finalFinal
19 February
18 February1Talon1
3MGN Vikings Esports23MGN Vikings Esports221 February
6SoftBank Hawks03MGN Vikings Esports1
19 February2CTBC Flying Oyster3
18 February2CTBC Flying Oyster2
4Secret Whales05GAM Esports0
23 February
5GAM Esports2
2CTBC Flying Oyster3
1Talon1
Lower semifinalsLower final
22 February
21 February3MGN Vikings Esports2
1Talon21Talon3
5GAM Esports1

Source: LoL Esports

Awards

Award Player Team
Finals MVP HongQ CTBC Flying Oyster
Season MVP JunJia
Rookie of the Split HongQ
Team of the Split
Kratos MGN Vikings Esports
JunJia CTBC Flying Oyster
HongQ
Betty Talon
SiuLoong MGN Vikings Esports

Mid-Season

Format

In the Mid-Season split, the eight (8) competing teams competed in a single-round robin, with all matches being played in best-of-threes. The top six (6) teams advanced to the Qualifying Series, where the first two rounds were contested in best-of-threes, and the last two rounds in best-of-fives. Teams that finished in the top two (2) received a bye to the second round, while the remaining four (4) teams began in Round 1.

The Qualifying Series was played in a semi-double elimination bracket, with the two finalists securing their spot at the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational.[8] Side selection during the first game of each series was decided by a one-on-one solo match.

Regular season

Pos Team Pld W L PCT Qualification
1 CTBC Flying Oyster 7 7 0 1.000 Qualifying Series
Round 2
2 Secret Whales 7 5 2 .714
3 Talon 7 5 2 .714 Qualifying Series
Round 1
4 GAM Esports 7 4 3 .571
5 MGN Vikings Esports 7 4 3 .571
6 SoftBank Hawks 7 2 5 .286
7 DetonatioN FocusMe 7 1 6 .143
8 Chiefs Esports Club 7 0 7 .000
Updated to match(es) played on 25 May 2025. Source: LoL Esports

Tiebreaker

In case teams have similar records, game record is determined as a tiebreaker. Secret Wales had a 12-5 win-loss game slate, while Talon only had 11-7; hence, TSW's spot in second place. The same is applied with GAM Esports, who have a 10-7 game record, and MGN Vikings Esports, who only have a 9-8 game slate; thus putting GAM at the fourth position.

Qualifying Series

As the highest-ranked team in Round 1, Talon had the chance to select their opponents. CTBC Flying Oyster, being the top-ranked team in Round 2, also chose their opponents.

Bracket

Upper quarterfinalsUpper semifinalsUpper finalFinal
31 May
30 May1CTBC Flying Oyster2
3Talon24GAM Esports11 June
6SoftBank Hawks01CTBC Flying Oyster3
31 May3Talon2
30 May2Secret Whales0
4GAM Esports23Talon2
8 June
5MGN Vikings Esports1
1CTBC Flying Oyster3
4GAM Esports2
Lower semifinalsLower final
7 June
6 June3Talon1
4GAM Esports34GAM Esports3
2Secret Whales1

Source: LoL Esports

Awards

Award Player Team
Finals MVP Kaiwing CTBC Flying Oyster
Season MVP Driver CTBC Flying Oyster
Team of the Split
Kiaya GAM Esports
Levi
HongQ CTBC Flying Oyster
Doggo
Kaiwing

Season Finals

Format

Based on their standings from the Mid-Season split, all eight (8) competing teams were divided into two groups of four teams — Contender (top four teams) and Breakout (bottom four teams). There are two phases of the regular season, with the first phase being a single round-robin tournament, where all matches were played in best-of-threes to determine standings for the next phase. The second phase sees a group reshuffle via a group breaker, where the 4th-placed contender team and the 1st-placed breakout team, as well as the 3rd-placed contender team and the 2nd-placed breakout team, will go head-to-head. Winning teams will join the contender group, while losing teams proceed to the breakout group.

Teams in each group then compete in a GSL-style double-elimination bracket, with all Contender Group teams advancing to the playoffs, and only Breakout Group teams that achieve two wins advancing. Teams in the contender group play only for seeding. In the playoffs, a double-elimination playoff bracket will be applied, with the six (6) remaining teams playing a mix of best-of-threes and best-of-fives. The top team from the playoffs will be crowned the LCP Champion, with the top three (3) teams earning qualification to the 2025 League of Legends World Championship.[9]

On 26 May 2025, the LCP announced that the Finals Weekend of Season Finals will be held in Da Nang, Vietnam from 20-21 September at the Tien Son Sport Center.[10]

Regular Season

Group Breaker

Phase 2

Contender Group
Round 11st Seed PlayoffTop Two Seeds
16 August
CTBC Flying Oyster2
22 August
MGN Viking Esports1
CTBC Flying Oyster
16 August
GAM Esports
Sercet Whales0
GAM Esports2
3rd/4th Seed Playoff2nd Seed Playoff
24 August
23 August
MGN Viking Esports
Sercet Whales
Breakout Group
Round 15th Seed PlayoffPlayoffs Qualified
17 August
PSG Talon2
22 August
Chiefs Esports Club0
PSG Talon
17 August
DetonatioN FocusMe
SoftBank Hawks1
DetonatioN FocusMe2
Elimination Match6th Seed Playoff
24 August
23 August
Chiefs Esports Club
SoftBank Hawks

Playoffs

Upper round 1Upper round 2Upper finalFinal
1
3
6
2
4
21 September
5
Lower round 1Lower round 2Lower round 3Lower final

Promotion and relegation

The promotion and relegation phase is a series of matches deciding promotion and relegation for teams into the 2026 LCP season. A total of seven teams will take part in the Promotion Tournament – one each from the Pacific Championship Series (PCS), Vietnam Championship Series (VCS), and the League of Legends Japan League (LJL), the winners of both the LCP Oceania Promotion Qualifier and the LCP Wild Card Playoffs, and two guest teams from the 2025 LCP season depending on their performance in Season Finals.[11]

For the LCP Wild Card Playoffs, five teams qualified through winning their respective tournaments that served as qualifiers for the event – one each from the League of Legends Nusantara Cup (Indonesia),[12] League of Legends Titans Cup (Malaysia and Singapore),[13] Liga Republika (Philippines),[14] Legends Ascend South Asia (South Asia),[15] and the League of Legends Thailand Series (Thailand).[16]

Qualified teams

If a domestic team that would be in the Promotion Tournament is an academy team of a current LCP team, they cannot participate. The spot then goes to the highest-ranked non-academy team from that league.

Promotion Tournament
League/Tournament Team Path
League of Legends Championship Pacific TBD Guest teams
TBD
League of Legends Japan League Japan TBD Season winner
Pacific Championship Series TBD Split 3 winner
Vietnam Championship Series Vietnam Saigon Dino Season champion
LCP Oceania Promotion Qualifier TBD Winner
LCP Wild Card Playoffs TBD Winner
LCP Wild Card Playoffs
Region Tournament Team
Indonesia Indonesia League of Legends Nusantara Cup Yang Dae Pal
Malaysia Malaysia/Singapore Singapore League of Legends Titans Cup Faerie Charm
Philippines Philippines Liga Republika Inferno Esports
South Asia Legends Ascend South Asia India S8UL Esports
Thailand Thailand League of Legends Thailand Series FULL SENSE

Format

LCP Wild Card Playoffs

The five teams will compete in a single round-robin group stage in best-of-two series, with rankings being determined by a points system. Three teams will advance to the playoffs; the top-ranked team will receive a bye and advance to the finals, while the second and third-ranked teams competing in the semifinals. The winner of the finals will qualify for the LCP Promotion Tournament. All playoff matches will be best-of-five series in a single-elimination bracket, and side selection will be decided in a one-on-one match.[17]

Promotion Tournament

The seven teams will contest two guest spots, with each spot being determined differently. One slot is determined through the Free-For-All bracket, where five teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket, with all matches being contested in best-of-fives. Another slot is contested through the Regional Merit match, where two teams will compete in a single best-of-five series. The winner of the Free-For-All bracket and the winner of the Regional Merit match will qualify as guest teams for the 2026 LCP season.[18]

Teams that contested in the Free-For-All bracket cannot contest in Regional Merit.

LCP Wild Card Playoffs

Group stage

Pos Team Pts W D L Qualification FRC FS IE S8UL YDP
1 Faerie Charm 0 0 0 0 Finals
2 FULL SENSE 0 0 0 0 Semifinals
3 Inferno Esports 0 0 0 0
4 S8UL Esports 0 0 0 0 Eliminated
5 Yang Dae Pal 0 0 0 0
Updated to match(es) played on 28 August 2025. Source:

Playoffs

SemifinalsFinals
1
2
3

Promotion Tournament

Regional Merit
Qualification Match
Date TBD


Free-For-All Bracket
Round 1Round 2Qualification Match

References

  1. ^ "LoL Esports: Building Towards A Brighter Future". lolesports.com. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  2. ^ Wilson, Jason (11 June 2024). "Riot Games rolls out consolidation plan, new spring event for League of Legends esports". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Introducing League of Legends Championship Pacific!". LoL Esports. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  4. ^ Choudhury, Kaustavmani (6 January 2025). "Inaugural LCP 2025 Season to kick off January 17". Strafe Esports. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  5. ^ Ciocchetti, Cecilia (16 March 2025). "Fearless Draft is here to stay: "Overwhelmingly positive feedback," says Riot's global head of LoL Esports". Dot Esports. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  6. ^ Nicholson, Jonno (15 July 2025). "PSG TALON returns to League of Legends following renewed dea". Esports Insider. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  7. ^ Xu, Davide (5 November 2024). "League of Legends Championship Pacific partner and guest teams revealed for 2025". Esports Insider. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  8. ^ a b "League of Legends Championship Pacific Format Update". LoL Esports. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  9. ^ "LCP 2025 Season Primer". LoL Esports. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  10. ^ Bernardo, Anna (28 May 2025). "LCP Season Finals 2025 to take place in Vietnam". GosuGamers. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  11. ^ "LCP 2025 Season Format Explainer" (video). youtube.com. League of Legends Championship Pacific. 6 January 2025.
  12. ^ "League of Legends Nusantara Cup (LNC) 2025: Indonesia's Gateway to the International Esports Stage". Dunia Games. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  13. ^ Bernardo, Anna (9 July 2025). "Riot Games and Easy Onair unveil League of Legends Titans Cup for Malaysia and Singapore". GosuGamers. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  14. ^ Micaller, Bea (5 July 2025). "Liga Republika to serve as Pinoy LoL teams' pathway to LCP wildcard playoffs". GMA News. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  15. ^ Fudge, James (23 April 2025). "Riot Games Reveals Legends Ascend South Asia". The Esports Advocate. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  16. ^ "League of Legends Thailand Series 2025 การแข่งขันชิงเงินรางวัลรวม 1,100,000 บาท". Riot Games (in Thai). 26 March 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  17. ^ "LCP 2025 Wild Card Playoffs Everything You Need to Know". lolesports.com. 19 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  18. ^ "LCP 2025 SEASON PRIMER". lolesports.com. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.