Sentinels is set to join the
LCS in 2026, sources tell Sheep Esports on Saturday. They will be taking over the spot of 100 Thieves,
who are officially exiting the league at the end of the 2025 season. Riot Games has chosen Sentinels as the replacing team, allowing them to enter the LCS without paying a franchise fee. As a reminder, the
LCS will rebrand in 2026, after the LTA experiment in 2025, but the specifics of Sentinels' integration are yet to be announced. 100 Thieves played in 2025 as a provisional guest team after their decision to sell back their LCS spot to Riot Games.
Sentinels is a major North American esports organization founded in 2016, initially under the name Phoenix1. They played in the NA LCS from 2016 until the end of 2017 before rebranding as Sentinels in June 2018. Since then, the organization has been based in Los Angeles and is well known for its success in VALORANT, where it has won two international Masters events, as well as competing in other games like Apex Legends, Marvel Rivals, and Halo.
They are recognized for strong business growth and strategic expansion plans. Earlier this year, in June, they told
Sheep Esports in a previous interview that they were evaluating the possibility of rejoining
League of Legends, mentioning that the possibility of promotion through guest spots made the league attractive. At the time, they were also studying entry into Counter-Strike 2, with the statement: “
It’s probable that we go in, maybe in 2026 or 2027. But if we do, it will be with a true North American ambition.”
Sources could not confirm whether Sentinels’ entry into the LCS will be permanent. However, based on the nature of the deal, it appears to be a multi-year arrangement, similar to how Riot manages VCT spots in VALORANT.
Sentinels will now need to focus on building their roster. While no players have been officially secured, the team has already made an appearance on the market.
