The KeSPA Cup returns once again this December, running from the 6th to the 14th, and will feature all ten LCK teams, two invited LCS teams — Cloud9 and Team Liquid — as well as two invited overseas all-star lineups from Japan and Vietnam. The event will open with a BO1 group stage, followed by a BO3 Breakout Stage, and will conclude with a BO3 Knockout Stage, except for the grand final, which will be played in BO5.

The 14 teams have been split into three groups:

The Group Stage schedules are already set, featuring 26 BO1 matches and some exciting clashes, such as Gen.G vs HLE, T1 vs TL, and on the first day, C9 facing both HLE and Gen.G. Only the group winners will advance directly to the playoffs, while the second-placed teams will enter another group, where only one team will progress to the Knockout Stage through a double-elimination bracket.

A warm-up competition

The KeSPA Cup is a competition organized by the Korea e-Sports Association since 2015, held before the start of each competitive year and serving as a warm-up for the teams. However, the tournament does feature a cash prize, with this year’s edition seeing the top four teams share ₩80,000,000, whereas in 2019 the prize pool reached ₩158,000,000.

In general, teams almost never field their full main roster—although it has happened in the past, for example DK last year, it’s rare. Teams usually mix their main roster with academy players, giving young prospects a chance to showcase themselves while allowing main roster members to get much-needed rest.

The most recent champions of the competition are BRION. Before that, the tournament was held in 2021, with DWG KIA Challengers taking the title. DAMWON won the 2020 edition, ROX Tigers claimed 2016, and the Griffins won in 2018 (a non-exhaustive list of past winners). The tournament often features invited teams as well; last year, Vietnam and Taiwan were invited.