LCK Cup 2026 Power Rankings

The LCK Cup will officially launch the LCK season this Wednesday, January 14. Following an offseason during which every team except Gen.G made roster changes, the ten organizations will begin their 2026 campaign with a fresh start. Last year, Hanwha Life Esports outclassed all of their opponents to claim victory in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

This season, not just one but two qualification spots will be on the line for the First Stand, the first international event of the year. After progressing through three competitive stages, the grand final of the tournament is scheduled to take place on March 1st.

Gen.G are the undisputed favorites for this LCK Cup. The only Korean team to make no roster changes, they are running it back with the same five: Kim “Kiin” Gi-in, Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu, Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, and Joo “Duro” Min-kyu. The only change comes on the coaching staff, with Ryu “Ryu” Sang-wook taking over. After a stratospheric 2025 season, crowned by LCK and MSI titles, it is only logical to see Gen.G still sitting at the top of the Korean food chain.

Hanwha Life Esports, champions of the 2025 LCK Cup, only grew stronger during the offseason. Han “Peanut” Wang-ho retired to complete his mandatory military service and was replaced by Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok, who will make his LCK debut after a strong career in China and a standout 2025 season where he carried Top Esports. The solo laners, Choi “Zeus” Woo-je and Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo, along with support Yoo “Delight” Hwan-joong, have been retained, and the roster was further reinforced by a major addition: the reigning three-time World Champion and Worlds 2025 Finals MVP, Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong.

The vote between HLE and T1 was extremely close within the Sheep Esports editorial team, but HLE ultimately edged it out to secure the second First Stand slot, with T1 finishing a very close third. The team has retained the core of its roster, extending Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon until 2026 and Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun until 2028. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok remains, as always, the centerpiece of the team, while Ryu “Keria” Min-seok could be extended soon. To partner him in the botlane, T1 opted for a different profile with the arrival of Kim “Peyz” Su-hwan, a multiple-time LCK champion and MSI winner with Gen.G.

Here is another top-tier LCK team that chose to retain its key pieces while strengthening the role that had been holding them back. Jeon “Siwoo” Si-woo, Choi “Lucid” Yong-hyeok, and Heo “ShowMaker” Su were all kept after a difficult year, one in which they still showed promising signs together, especially during the LCK Cup.

They will be complemented by Shin “Smash” Geum-jae, who finally makes the jump to the LCK after delivering strong performances with T1. He will be paired in the botlane with the young Oh “Career” Hyeong-seok, promoted to the LCK after winning the 2025 LCK CL with BNK FearX Youth and being named Finals MVP. A young and highly promising botlane.

Like Dplus KIA, KT Rolster are running back the exact same topside that carried them to the Worlds grand final. Despite some rough patches, Lee “PerfecT” Seung-min proved he can hold his own against the league’s elite. The Moon “Cuzz” Woo-chan and Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong duo delivered an outstanding year and is naturally being kept together.

In the botlane, KT are bringing back Kim “Aiming” Ha-ram, with whom they shared some strong moments in the past. He will be paired with two supports: Jang “Ghost” Yong-jun, who is role-swapping, and the young Oh “Pollu” Dong-gyu. The roster could function similarly to last year’s, but in terms of raw power, KT sit just below the four heavyweights.

A surprising guest in the Legends Group last year, Nongshim RedForce eventually hit a wall during the second half of the season and finished outside the top six. Despite that setback, the team showed some promising flashes, particularly thanks to Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon and Son "Lehends" Si-woo, both of whom were retained during the offseason to build a stronger roster for the upcoming year.

The standout signing of the offseason is undoubtedly Lee "Scout" Ye-chan, who returns to the LCK after a more difficult year with JD Gaming. He is joined by Bae "Sponge" Young-jun and Kim "Taeyoon" Tae-yoon, both expected to be upgrades at the jungle and support positions respectively. The young and promising midlaner Seon "Calix" Hyeon-bin as a sixth man.

Last year, BNK FearX finished tenth in the LCK Cup, seventh in the Rounds 1-2, and ended the year in sixth place in the LCK. Despite that, the organization made almost no roster changes. The only move is the official promotion of Yoo “Daystar” Ji-myeong to the main roster as part of a six-man setup alongside Lee “VicLa” Dae-kwang in the midlane. Otherwise, continuity is the key word: Song “Clear” Hyeon-min remains in the toplane, Jeon “Raptor” Eo-jin in the jungle, Rookie of the Year Nam “Diable” Dae-geun at AD carry, and Kim “Kellin” Hyeong-gyu at support.

DRX are once again widely expected to finish in the lower half of the standings. Seventh in the LCK Cup, ninth in Rounds 1–2, and ninth overall in the LCK by the end of the year, the team is now a far cry from the organization it was just a few years ago.

Lee “Rich” Jae-won is retained in the toplane, while a small glimmer of hope comes with the arrival of former T1 Academy jungler Ha “Vincenzo” Seung-min, as well as Kim “Willer” Jeong-hyeon, champion of the LCK CL with BNK FearX Youth. Son “Ucal” Woo-hyeon and Moon “Andil” Gwan-bin are kept in the midlane and support roles, and are joined by Jung “Jiwoo” Ji-woo.

Eighth in the LCK Cup and bottom of the regular season, DN Freecs completely missed the mark in 2025. As a result, beyond its rebranding, the organization has overhauled part of its roster with three new additions. Lee "Clozer" Ju-hyeon arrives in the midlane, also looking to relaunch his career after an underwhelming year with BRION. Above all, DN Freecs secured KT Rolster’s former botlane — Worlds 2025 finalists — Seo "deokdam" Dae-gil and Jeong "Peter" Yoon-su, in what stands as one of the most notable moves of the offseason.

The topside, however, remains unchanged, with Lee "DuDu" Dong-ju in the toplane and 2022 world champion Hong "Pyosik" Chang-hyeon in the jungle. Even so, it is difficult to envision the SOOPers contending for top positions in this LCK Cup. Even the former KT botlane is far from a guaranteed asset, as the team’s success last year largely stemmed from the exploits of its mid-jungle duo.

Tipped to be the weakest team in the LCK, Hanjin BRION’s offseason does little to inspire confidence. The organization chose not to retain the players who gave flashes of hope in 2025, Park “Morgan” Ru-han and Lee “Clozer” Ju-hyeon. They are replaced in the solo lanes by Shin “Casting” Min-je and Lee “Fisher” Jeong-tae.

The jungle will be handled by Kim “GIDEON” Min-seong, returning to the team, while the botlane features the arrival of veteran Park “Teddy” Jin-seong alongside former Gen.G Academy support Namgung “Namgung” Seong-hoon, who did not have a particularly standout year in the LCK CL.