LEC Versus 2026 Season Viewer Guide: Dates, Schedule, Format, Participants

LEC Versus 2026 is a new European league format that allows several teams from lower leagues to test their strength against top-tier competition. This is expected to increase overall interest, pushing both teams and viewers to be even more engaged. This extra effort applies not only to the invited teams, but also to the veterans of the scene, who cannot afford to underestimate the newcomers.

In this blog, we will go over the LEC Versus 2026 schedule, discuss the teams and the tournament format, and also consider what we can expect from this event and whether such a format could become permanent in the future.

LEC Versus 2026 Format and Dates

The tournament will run for several months and will be divided into multiple stages. LEC Versus 2026 will take place from January 17, 2026 to March 1, 2026.

LEC Versus 2026 will begin with the Regular Season, with the first matches starting on January 17 and the Regular Season concluding on February 8. All Regular Season matches will be played in a Bo1 format, and each team will face every other team once. In total, each team will play 11 matches. Based on the Regular Season results, the top 8 teams will advance to the Playoffs.

The Playoffs will start on February 16, with the Grand Final taking place on March 1, where the first-ever LEC Versus 2026 champion will be determined. The tournament will follow a Double Elimination bracket format. Round 1 and Round 2 matches will be played as Bo3 using the Fearless Draft system, while all remaining matches will be Bo5 and will also use Fearless Draft.

LEC Versus 2026 Teams

Credit: X(Twitter):@LEC

In the experimental LEC Versus 2026 format, there are not the usual 10 teams, but a total of 12. As mentioned above, two additional teams will be invited from the ERLs.

Participating teams:

• Fnatic
• G2 Esports
• GIANTX
• Karmine Corp
• MKOI
• Natus Vincere
• SK Gaming
• Shifters (previously known as Team BDS)
• The Heretics
• Team Vitality
• Los Ratones
• Karmine Corp Blue

Let’s take a closer look at the teams and their rosters for this tournament. Almost every team has made roster changes, and each lineup now looks even more interesting.

LEC Versus 2026 Schedule

Credit: X(Twitter):@LEC

Here is the full match schedule for the LEC Versus 2026 Regular Season:

Saturday, January 17, 2026

• Los Ratones vs Fnatic - 18:00
• Shifters vs GIANTX - 18:45
• Team Heretics vs Natus Vincere - 19:30
• Team Vitality vs SK Gaming - 20:15
• Karmine Corp Blue vs Karmine Corp - 21:00
• Movistar KOI vs G2 Esports - 21:45

Sunday, January 18, 2026

• Team Heretics vs Shifters - 18:00
• Los Ratones vs Karmine Corp Blue - 18:45
• Team Vitality vs Natus Vincere - 19:30
• SK Gaming vs Fnatic - 20:15
• G2 Esports vs GIANTX - 21:00
• Movistar KOI vs Karmine Corp - 21:45

Monday, January 19, 2026

• Natus Vincere vs Fnatic - 18:00
• Team Vitality vs Karmine Corp Blue - 18:45
• Team Heretics vs GIANTX - 19:30
• Shifters vs Movistar KOI - 20:15
• Los Ratones vs Karmine Corp - 21:00
• SK Gaming vs G2 Esports - 21:45

Saturday, January 24, 2026

• Los Ratones vs GIANTX - 18:00
• Natus Vincere vs Karmine Corp Blue - 18:45
• Team Vitality vs Team Heretics - 19:30
• Shifters vs G2 Esports - 20:15
• SK Gaming vs Karmine Corp - 21:00
• Movistar KOI vs Fnatic - 21:45

Sunday, January 25, 2026

• Team Vitality vs Shifters - 18:00
• SK Gaming vs Natus Vincere - 18:45
• Team Heretics vs Los Ratones - 19:30
• Movistar KOI vs Karmine Corp Blue - 20:15
• Fnatic vs GIANTX - 21:00
• Karmine Corp vs G2 Esports - 21:45

Monday, January 26, 2026

• SK Gaming vs Karmine Corp Blue - 18:00
• Shifters vs Los Ratones - 18:45
• Team Vitality vs Fnatic - 19:30
• Team Heretics vs G2 Esports - 20:15
• Natus Vincere vs Karmine Corp - 21:00
• Movistar KOI vs GIANTX - 21:45

Saturday, January 31, 2026

• Team Heretics vs SK Gaming - 18:00
• Natus Vincere vs GIANTX - 18:45
• Shifters vs Fnatic - 19:30
• Karmine Corp Blue vs G2 Esports - 20:15
• Team Vitality vs Karmine Corp - 21:00
• Movistar KOI vs Los Ratones - 21:45

Sunday, February 1, 2026

• Shifters vs Natus Vincere - 18:00
• Team Heretics vs Karmine Corp Blue - 18:45
• Team Vitality vs GIANTX - 19:30
• SK Gaming vs Movistar KOI - 20:15
• Karmine Corp vs Fnatic - 21:00
• Los Ratones vs G2 Esports - 21:45

Monday, February 2, 2026

• Karmine Corp Blue vs Fnatic - 18:00
• SK Gaming vs GIANTX - 18:45
• Natus Vincere vs Los Ratones - 19:30
• Team Vitality vs G2 Esports - 20:15
• Team Heretics vs Movistar KOI - 21:00
• Shifters vs Karmine Corp - 21:45

Saturday, February 7, 2026

• Team Heretics vs Fnatic - 18:00
• Shifters vs Karmine Corp Blue - 18:45
• SK Gaming vs Los Ratones - 19:30
• Natus Vincere vs G2 Esports - 20:15
• Team Vitality vs Movistar KOI - 21:00
• Karmine Corp vs GIANTX - 21:45

Sunday, February 8, 2026

• Team Vitality vs Los Ratones - 18:00
• Karmine Corp Blue vs GIANTX - 18:45
• SK Gaming vs Shifters - 19:30
• Natus Vincere vs Movistar KOI - 20:15
• Team Heretics vs Karmine Corp - 21:00
• Fnatic vs G2 Esports - 21:45

Each matchday will feature six Bo1 matches. Best-of-one games are almost pure randomness, where the outcome can be decided by a single good draft, one successful fight, or even a small farm advantage. Because of this, every matchday will be extremely important for all teams.

What to Expect from the LEC Versus 2026?

The first thing worth saying about this tournament is that every team will give it their all. A trip to First Stand is on the line - a new prestigious tournament that was introduced only last year. This event allows teams not only to gain more international experience ahead of MSI and Worlds, but also makes the matches between splits more exciting.

The new LEC Versus 2026 format is an interesting decision by the organizers. It brings together fans from different competitive levels into one ecosystem and indirectly pushes teams to put in even more effort.

At this tournament, Los Ratones deserve special attention as a team with an incredible media presence, largely thanks to their coach, a former pro player and streamer who often attracts more viewers than official broadcasts - Caedrel. However, beyond their strong media side, the team clearly has a solid level of play, which they demonstrated in previous tournaments.

The second invited team is Karmine Corp Blue, who may face difficulties this split. The team showed strong results last season in their league, but has now undergone two key roster changes. Maynter, the former top laner, moved to Natus Vincere, while the team’s bot laner 3XA joined French Flair. It will take a lot of effort and time for the team to regain the form that once allowed them to win tournaments.

It will also be interesting to watch the updated NAVI roster, as they are a new participant in the LEC. Last year, they joined the season near its end, which meant the team simply did not have enough time to build synergy or form a confident lineup. This year, NAVI worked well during the transfer window, strengthened their roster, and now it all depends on how effectively they can realize this potential.

As for the tournament favorites, it should come as no surprise - G2 Esports. The team delivered strong results last season, placed well at international events, and made no roster changes. This level of stability is a strong indicator of consistency and is exactly what makes G2 the main favorites to claim the championship title.