LEC Versus 2026 Play-off Schedule and Regular Season - Results

After four weeks of intense matches, the LEC Versus 2026 Regular Season has come to an end. Out of the 12 teams that started the tournament, only 8 remain to move on to the playoffs. Thanks to the new format and the invited teams from the ERL, the matches have become more interesting and have shaken up the usual competition among LEC veterans. In this blog, we will break down the past week, review the playoff schedule, and discuss the form of the teams along with their chances for the championship title.

Week Three: LEC Versus 2026 Schedule

The fourth week of the LEC Versus 2026 Play-offs runs from February 6th to March 1st. During this final stretch, a total of 12 Best-of-One (Bo1) matches await us.

The LEC Versus 2026 playoff stage is now moving into the decisive battles, with only the 8 strongest teams remaining out of the original 12. The tournament bracket will follow a Double Elimination system, giving participants the right to one mistake and the opportunity to fight their way to the finals through the lower bracket. A total of 14 matches are scheduled, all of which will be played in a Best-of-3 format.

Matches in this stage will be held under Fearless Draft rules. This rule prohibits teams from selecting champions they have already used in previous games of the series. This format thoroughly tests the depth of the players' champion pools and forces coaches to seek non-standard strategic solutions, making every confrontation unique and unpredictable.

For a full understanding of the tournament structure, please refer to our LEC Versus 2026 Season Viewer Guide. The guide contains a detailed breakdown of each stage, explanations of the formats, and team introductions, as well as highlights of the key features of the event.

LEC Versus 2026: Matches You Shouldn't Miss

Credit: X@LEC

At this stage, all matches should be watched with the consideration that there will be only two matches per day. However, there are certainly some that deserve special attention. The first such match is Karmine Corp vs GIANTX, which will take place on February 17.

This year, GIANTX have found their form and looked very confident in Best-of-1 matches during the regular season. Looking at the head-to-head history, Karmine Corp enter this matchup as the favorites. During their regular season meeting, GIANTX already suffered a defeat against KC with a very significant deficit. Based on the tournament format, Karmine Corp seemingly chose GIANTX as their opponents due to comfort and confidence in their victory. It is also important not to overlook the fact that Karmine Corp were last year's Winter Split champions, which allowed them to attend First Stand, where they took second place after losing in the final to Hanwha Life Esports - who, notably, finished 10th in the LCK this season and failed to even reach the play-ins. Another vital factor is the Best-of-3 format, where the luck factor is almost non-existent, giving the underdog much fewer opportunities to win.

The next match that is definitely worth watching is NAVI vs Fnatic, scheduled for Monday, February 16. The interest in this match lies in the fact that Fnatic and NAVI met in the regular season, where Natus Vincere threw away a victory despite having a 15,000 gold lead. According to the team and the coach, that was more of an accident. Furthermore, this is a young roster where most players have never played at the Tier-1 level, yet they managed to reach the playoffs in their first split by taking second place in the regular season. It will be interesting to see how "Born to Win" perform in Best-of-3 matches and whether Fnatic, who have always played the regular season exceptionally well, can return to their former form and advance further through the tournament bracket.

LEC Versus 2026 Regular Season Results

The fourth week was the decisive week for determining the playoff participants. This year, many teams were very close in points, so for a large portion of the teams during LEC Versus 2026 Week 4, they could not even influence their own advancement to the playoffs.

First, let's talk about the teams that definitely did not make it to the playoffs. In total, 4 teams remained outside of the tournament:

• Los Ratones - 5-6
• Shifters - 5-6
• SK Gaming - 3-8
• Karmine Corp Blue - 2-9

It was already known after Week 3 that Karmine Corp Blue would not advance to the next stage of the tournament. However, for an ERL team, every match is a very valuable experience and an opportunity to play against top players of the region, which is a rare occurrence. Thus, the team simply finished their match against GIANTX and even managed to secure a victory.

A similar situation occurred with SK Gaming; unfortunately, the team accumulated too many losses to have a chance to compete in the final days. There were decent chances, but they needed to win all their matches in Week 4, and the opponents were generally beatable. However, the team is not yet ready for the playoffs, losing all their matches in the final week against GIANTX, Los Ratones, and Shifters.

Credit: X@LEC

After their victory over SK Gaming, Shifters reached a 5-6 record, and their fate was no longer in their hands. They needed a specific outcome: a victory for themselves and a Natus Vincere win over MKOI. Only in that case would they have advanced to the playoffs by tying MKOI's score and winning the tiebreaker due to head-to-head results.

Credit: X@LEC

The most dramatic outcome happened to Los Ratones, who had a 90% chance of making the playoffs, but the 10% scenario played out instead. The team had a 5-5 record and faced Vitality on the last day, suffering a defeat. Despite this, their chances remained high because they had won against strong opponents, and for them to miss the playoffs, a specific series of events had to occur: NAVI losing to MKOI, Team Heretics defeating Karmine Corp, and G2 Esports beating Fnatic. It seemed their spot was secured, but... the most unpredictable result was Team Heretics' win over Karmine Corp. To be fair, KC was already in the playoffs at that point and could have played without touching their keyboards. They seemingly decided to test something and went with a very unstable pick focused on a heavy snowball that never happened. The snowball failed, and the team began to lose with almost no resistance.

Fnatic took 8th place in the standings with a 5-6 record. Unlike last year and following the arrival of Vladi, they are having issues with their gameplay. If not for the victory over NAVI - which Natus Vincere essentially gifted to them - they would not have made it to the playoffs. However, they might feel more comfortable in a Best-of-3 format, and in their rematch on Monday, Feb 16, they face NAVI again, where they may prove their previous win was not an accident.

Credit: X@LEC

Sixth place was shared by MKOI and G2 Esports. For G2 Esports, this position in the regular season is somewhat familiar. In the early weeks, they made their fans worry, as their play looked genuinely poor - confusing decisions, lack of coordination, and sometimes inappropriate picks. However, toward the end, the team began returning to form and showing good performance.

The situation with MKOI is slightly different. Currently, Movistar KOI is undergoing an adaptation to a new playstyle. At the start of the regular season, it was clear the team was playing differently, and this gameplay doesn't quite suit them yet. Their main problem in the past was being overly aggressive, which often led to unnecessary dives and lost advantages. The team struggled with making comebacks or playing from behind. This season they are restructuring and already making progress.

Two teams, Team Heretics and GIANTX, settled into the 4th position. Looking at how they played the regular season, it is safe to say they are doing everything correctly. They possess good mechanics, execution, drafts, and a decent level of macro play. Consequently, these two teams are currently a serious threat to any opponent.

Credit: X@LEC

Top 3 was taken by Team Vitality, showing very strong growth after their roster changes, especially compared to last season's results. The team plays very freely and, one could say, with pleasure. Most importantly, they play their matches with a smile, enjoying themselves and having fun. This simple attitude relieves the team of excessive pressure, making their games interesting for both viewers and analysts.

The league newcomers, Natus Vincere, took second place. The legendary tag, known in many top disciplines, has finally reached League of Legends. Last year, when the organization bought the slot from Rogue, most players were still under contract, so it was no surprise they failed the Summer Split. However, this year, recruiting an entirely new roster and coaching staff has yielded unexpectedly positive results. The team initially set a goal of getting more practice and simply playing, treating this split as a learning experience. As you can see, they exceeded expectations; these victories are hardly accidental, as the team looks very strong. It will be interesting to see how they perform in Bo3 and Bo5 matches over a longer distance.

The reigning Winter Split champions, Karmine Corp, hold the top spot after the regular season. They demonstrate a very high level of play and strong pressure. If KC continues to play like this in the playoffs, they have every chance of heading to First Stand 2026 again as the LEC regional representatives.

LEC Versus 2026 Details

The LEC Versus 2026 season, which began on January 17, is now approaching its grand conclusion. After a hard-fought regular season that tested the consistency of every roster, the competition is moving into its final and most critical phase: the Playoffs. This is the stage where the split champion will be determined and the fate of the regional representative will be decided.

The stakes at this point could not be higher. Even though there is no traditional cash prize pool, the ultimate reward is far more valuable. The team that emerges victorious from the playoffs will earn the prestigious right to be the sole representative for the EMEA region at the first international tournament of the year - First Stand 2026 in São Paulo, Brazil. For the 8 remaining teams, this is the only path to the global stage and a chance to prove their dominance within the updated League of Legends competitive cycle.

The era of unpredictable Best-of-One matches has come to an end. From this point forward, the tournament shifts exclusively to Best-of-3 and Best-of-5 series, where tactical depth and long-term consistency are paramount. This transition significantly reduces the impact of luck, ensuring that only the most prepared teams can advance. Major roster shifts and the arrival of ambitious newcomers have already put immense pressure on the league's veteran organizations, and these longer series will further test the resilience of every player.

We are entering the home stretch of the event, which concludes on March 1. Every remaining match is now a battle for survival and regional glory. Keep a close watch on the official schedule, as the playoff bracket will deliver the most intense and high-level gameplay of the season. This concludes our overview - enjoy the final battles and good luck to your favorite teams as they fight for their ticket to Brazil at LEC Versus 2026!