League of Legends Esports News

The Americas Cup 2026 has officially concluded, and it wasn't just a routine victory, it was an absolute display of domination. FURIA completely dismantled Cloud9 with a crushing 3-0 sweep in the Grand Finals

Despite a shaky start to the season, Bilibili Gaming (BLG) are back on top! Led by Chen "Bin" Ze-Bin in the Top Lane, the Chinese powerhouse crushed JD Gaming (JDG) in the Grand Finals to win the LPL Split 1 2026.

The first international stop of the new LoL Esports season is right around the corner! A total of eight teams from all over the world will head to Brazil to compete at First Stand 2026 starting March 16.  After exciting first splits across the board, which region will claim the first international trophy of the year? Let's take a look at the First Stand 2026 format, schedule, and list of teams to find out more.

We have our complete lineup of teams to compete First Stand 2026 at last! Having breezed past Weibo Gaming (WBG) in the Lower Bracket Finals of the LPL Split 1 Playoffs, JD Gaming (JDG) have become the final team to book their spot in São Paulo.

First Stand 2026 is just days away, and the official patch for the tournament (LoL Patch 26.05) is already live. Before the best teams in the world head to Brazil to battle for the first international trophy of the year, let's take a quick look at the biggest winners and losers of First Stand's patch.

Earlier today, LEC announced the details for the upcoming 2026 Spring Split. The most exciting part of this announcement is the decision to finally switch from Bo1 to Bo3 for the regular season.

Through a post on Weibo, Top Esports (TES) have announced that they are investigating their own Jungler Yang "naiyou" Zi-Jian for "seriously violating club rules and regulations and professional ethics." Though the organization did not provide any specific examples that would demonstrate what it is they are referring to, Top Esports did disclose they have already reported the situation to the league, whose disciplinary department will continue to handle the investigation from here on out.

A mere two weeks after Los Ratones shut down, the roster has found a new place to call home ahead of the start of EMEA Masters Winter 2026, where they will compete under the Witchcraft banner. We won't get to see the complete Los Ratones roster return to action, however, with one key member being replaced by a former LCS and LEC Champion.

As hype for First Stand 2026 continues to grow, it's time to quickly look back at the first split of the season across several regions to compare metas, champion diversity, and preferred styles before we head to the international stage. For this analysis, we'll be taking a look at the LCS Lock-In 2026, LEC Versus 2026, and LCK Cup 2026 tournaments.

Things looked shaky for a minute there, but Bilibili Gaming (BLG) ultimately became the first Chinese team to qualify for First Stand 2026 after taking down JD Gaming (JDG) in the Upper Bracket Finals of the LPL Split 1 Playoffs. Now, they will await to find out who their rivals will be in the Grand Finals, where they will compete for the trophy as well as the LPL's first seed at First Stand.

Riot Games recently released a comprehensive Dev Update addressing the state of League of Legends in Season 1, bringing exciting news for players. The update covered a variety of topics, including reflections on the season's gameplay changes, adjustments to the Ranked ladder, and the highly anticipated update for Shyvana.

Inspired’s bold offseason move to LYON has paid off. After a shaky Swiss stage, LYON stormed through the lower bracket to defeat Cloud9 in the LCS Lock-In 2026 Grand Finals. With Inspired claiming another Domestic Finals MVP, LYON now heads to First Stand 2026 to represent the LCS on the international stage.

G2 Esports rise to the top of the LEC once more. After a thrilling, back-and-forth Grand Finals against Karmine Corp, G2 not only managed to come away with the LEC Versus trophy in the end, but also secure their spot at First Stand 2026 in Brazil.

Though Gen.G had already qualified for First Stand 2026, they've now secured the LCK's first seed for themselves heading into Brazil; and what a way to do it. Gen.G put on a clinic the Grand Finals of the LCK Cup 2026, sweeping BNK FEARX to make it clear they are still the best team in the world.

The LCK has seen its first Cinderella story of the year. Against all odds, BNK FEARX (BFX) have become the second South Korean team to qualify for First Stand after putting on a magical run through the 2026 LCK Cup Playoffs.

The 2026 LEC Versus has delivered some exciting League of Legends action so far, but it's only going to get better. With only two matches left on the split, the trophy as well as a spot at First Stand remain up for grabs. To decide who will take on G2 Esports in the Grand Finals, we get one of the most fiery matchups in the LEC up first in the Lower Bracket Finals: Movistar KOI vs Karmine Corp.

Starting March 9, the 2026 EMEA Masters Winter tournament will see some of the brightest rising stars in Tier-2 League of Legends compete to make it to the top. This time, though, the stakes are higher than ever, with the best performing teams qualifying for the new Esports World Cup Qualifier, earning a chance to play on the biggest stage against some of the best teams from all over the world.

Xin Zhao is a melee fighter known for strong early pressure, reliable crowd control, and high sustain. He excels at starting fights, isolating priority targets, and forcing skirmishes. Once a gladiator in Noxus, Xin Zhao survived countless battles in the fighting pits. After Demacian forces freed him, he pledged loyalty to the Lightshield dynasty. He now serves Demacia with discipline and direct force. This guide explains Xin Zhao’s abilities, combos, item paths, jungle approach, and counterplay. Xin Zhao’s Abilities Explainedmore

As the official patch to kick off First Stand 2026, LoL Patch 26.05 will be primarily focused around tuning things for pro play rather than Solo Queue. With the first international tournament of the year fast approaching, the new League of Legends update won't necessarily throw the meta for a spin, but it will see a few staple picks fall in priority while others may rise just in time to make an appearance on stage.

League of Legends is the latest name to join the rapidly growing list of games set to feature in the debut year of the Esports Nations Cup (ENC). Its addition comes as little surprise given the announcement several days before of sister game VALORANT joining the roster, bringing the total number of confirmed games for the first edition of the ENC to 16.