LCK Cup 2026 Week 2 Schedule and Week 1 - Results

The first week of LCK Cup 2026 has concluded, and despite it being only the beginning, there is already plenty to discuss. Ten of Korea's strongest teams from the world's most competitive region have entered the fray to fight for the regional title and the opportunity to prove themselves at First Stand 2026. In this blog, we will review the past week of play, discuss the major highlights, and look ahead to what awaits us in the coming week.

Week Two: LCK Cup 2026 Schedule

Week 2 takes place from January 21 to 25 and will feature a total of 10 matches:

The LCK Cup 2026 Group Stage (Group Battle) is currently taking place from January 14 to February 1. At this stage, ten of Korea's strongest teams are divided into two groups: Group Baron and Group Elder. During this phase, each collective competes against opponents from the opposite group in a single round-robin format.

The first week of competition has already concluded, and the second week of the group stage is now underway. All matches during this period are played in a best-of-three (Bo3) format using the Fearless Draft system. For every series win, the group is awarded one point.

Looking ahead, participants will enter the third week, known as Super Week. During this period, teams will face opponents from their own group who hold the same seed. These decisive matchups will be played as best-of-five (Bo5) series, also utilizing Fearless Draft, and the value of each victory will increase to two points for the group.

Based on the final results, the group with the most points will be designated the Winner Group, while the other will become the Loser Group. This distribution will directly determine the teams' starting positions in the subsequent stages of the tournament.

To make the tournament format easier to follow, we have prepared a dedicated resource - the LCK Cup 2026 Viewer Guide. In this guide, I break down every stage of the championship, explain the match rules, introduce the participating teams, and share other important details of the winter split.

LCK Cup 2026 Week 2 Matches You Shouldn't Miss

Credit: X@LCK

Part of the second week has already concluded, and I recommend watching some of the matches on replay. Among these, I would like to highlight the T1 vs. KT Rolster series. Despite the 2-0 score, KT Rolster and their updated roster showed their teeth and put up a good fight. And, of course, it is always interesting to watch T1, especially after the replacement of their ADC.

In my opinion, the match between Hanwha Life Esports and SOOPers (BN Freecs), which takes place on January 24 at 10:00, is well worth your attention. Despite a completely failed previous year, SOOPers have almost entirely rebuilt their roster and are looking quite decent. At the same time, HLE - who replaced their ADC with Gumayusi, the three-time World Champion from T1 - are looking very shaky so far, holding a 1-2 record after losing to T1 and Nongshim RedForce.

The remaining matches are certainly worth watching, but their outcomes feel decided before they even begin. Most of these matchups feature teams in completely different weight classes. If these games were played in a Bo1 format, there would be more intrigue, as that format often puts the favorites in a losing position.

LCK Cup 2025 Week 1 Results

Credit: X@LCK

Looking back, one can see the characteristic traits of the season's start for most teams. At first glance, some matches seemed destined for an obvious outcome. A prime example of this was the HLE vs. Nongshim match. Although HLE lost their opening series, that defeat came at the hands of T1, the reigning three-time World Champions. Meanwhile, NS had lost to FEARX with a score of 0-2. It appeared that HLE would take a convincing victory, but the opposite occurred. NS and their updated roster played an excellent match, securing a clean 2-0 win.

Currently, following Week 1 and part of Week 2, two teams remain undefeated in their series. The first is Gen.G, who managed to win three matches against DRX, KT Rolster, and FEARX, with all three series ending in 2-0 scores.

T1 has shown a nearly identical perfect record. The team played against DRX and HLE with 2-1 scores and also secured a 2-0 victory against KT Rolster, which brings their group standing to 3-0.

A third collective in Group Elder with a 3-0 record is Dplus. The team had two clean 2-0 victories against BRION and SOOPers (DNS). They also played a close match against Nongshim, whom they managed to defeat with a score of 2-1.

The most negative standing at the moment belongs to BRION, having lost three out of three matches. DRX also struggles with a current record of 1-3; they were able to secure a victory against Nongshim RedForce but lost their other three series.

LCK Cup 2026 Details

The LCK Cup 2026 takes place from January 14 to March 1. This season, the tournament format is focused on selecting regional representatives for First Stand (FST) 2026. Only the top two teams based on the results of all championship stages will receive direct invites to this international event.

Throughout the entire tournament - from the group stage to the playoff finals - matches are conducted using the Fearless Draft system. This innovation requires teams to have a deep champion pool and a high level of strategic preparation in Bo3 and Bo5 series.

Following roster changes and the off-season break, the level of competition has increased significantly. Fans can expect intense matchups and a fight for the right to represent the region on the international stage. Follow the matches and support your favorite teams on their journey to the LCK Cup 2026 finals.