LEC Spring 2026 Week 1 Recap & Highlights

The first week of the LEC Spring 2026 Split has come to a close. Three days of action featuring only eight teams taking to Summoner’s Rift. Just like last year, this split will follow the same structure with best-of-threes and best-of-fives throughout.

And while Europe’s return to action is still fresh, a few early trends are already taking shape. Sheep Esports looks back at the five biggest storylines from the weekend.

wrapped up their first week with two convincing wins, including one against , and already look like a serious top-four contender. Turkish jungler stood out in both series, dictating the pace of the game with precision and confidence. Still, NAVI will need to iron out some mid-game coordination issues if they want to hold their own once the competition sharpens.

Their latest series against exemplified this potential, grinding out a 2-1 victory after dropping a sloppy game 1 to 's monstrous Ashe carry performance. NAVI's mid/jungle duo looks well in sync, having dismantled the final two games of the series. That's enough to build maximum confidence ahead of their clash with next weekend for another test of strength.

Beyond NAVI’s strong debut, not everything looked bright for the rest of the league. ’s 0–2 start was particularly alarming — the team looked lifeless, disjointed, and far removed from the aggressive identity their brand once carried. ’ two consecutive solo deaths against Movistar KOI’s Joseph perfectly illustrated Fnatic’s struggles, and early signs suggest this could be one of the organization’s roughest years in LEC history.

SK Gaming were equally unconvincing. Also sitting at 0–2, they experimented with creative drafts — Anivia top for , Zed mid for , even his first-ever Orianna — but execution often fell apart. Their games were entertaining but lacked polish, and head coach Jonas “Hidon” Vraa from Team Heretics summarized it bluntly after beating SK 2–1: “If we had lost today, it wouldn’t have been because SK were great, it would’ve been because we gave it away.”

If Fnatic and SK’s early form is any indication, the league’s overall level isn’t looking reassuring. Even the most one-sided match-ups on paper often dragged past 35 minutes, the longest being a 54-minute slugfest between and Team Vitality. Yet few of these extended games felt thrilling as it was mostly punishments for individual mistakes.

SK’s players were among the weakest statistically, while even Fnatic’s — typically one of Europe’s most reliable junglers — registered the highest death average of the week (5.2 per game). Meanwhile, Vladi continues his 2026 season at the same sluggish pace, far from the level he showed at the start of 2025. He currently ranks as the weakest midlaner in the league, holding both the lowest gold difference at 15 minutes (-736) and the worst kills per games on average (1.6) in his role.

Karmine Corp, expected to dominate early, also started quietly. , in particular, was far from dominant against , who once again showcased his individual brilliance. As AD carry put it on X: “Not our best face for a comeback, let’s be honest — but we’ll take the win.”

After Movistar KOI’s opening loss to NAVI (1–2), head coach Tomás "Melzhet" Campelos didn’t hold back. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sheep Esports, he made headlines with a stark message for his players: “If we look at today, Myrwn (Alex Pastor Villarejo) and Supa (David Martínez García) don’t deserve to be renewed.” The comment set the tone for MKOI’s approach heading into week two.

He went on to add: “They still need to raise their level. I don’t care. Supa had really good spots to carry games and snowball, and he threw the lead. Myrwn, in the first and third games, he played terrible. So they need to wake up.” The message is clear: performance now outweighs reputation.

This offseason’s single signing, made his first LEC appearance with Team Heretics after replacing in the support role — and showed encouraging form. Primarily playing enchanters in the current meta, Way held his ground under pressure against SK Gaming and impressed in his laning mechanics. The only blemish came against Vitality, where ’s Bard completely stole the show in game two.

What’s even more reassuring is that Way’s debut came despite communication hurdles. According to jungler Sheo, the Korean support still doesn’t speak English fluently, forcing Ice to translate calls in real time. Head coach Hidon addressed it pragmatically in an interview: “League is a universal language. It just makes the game flow better instead of talking as much bullshit as you can.”