The
LPL’s 2026 Split 1 will kick off on January 14, and this year the Chinese league will begin its season with just 14 teams, following the departures of
FunPlus Phoenix and
Royal Never Give Up. Numerous roster changes have been made, with new imports joining the league.
Only one team has kept the same roster, and it is also the best-performing team of the year:
Anyone’s Legend. On the
Bilibili Gaming side, Peng "
Xun" Li-Xun has been brought in for the jungle, while one of the biggest signings in the league was made in the AD Carry role, with Park "
Viper" Do-hyeon returning to China.
The LPL has always been a league that attracts a lot of imports, whether from the LCK or even the Pacific region. This year is no exception. It starts with Viper joining BLG, while Lim "
Soboro" Seong-min left BNK FearX in the LCK CL to join
Invictus Gaming. The same applies to Lee "
BuLLDoG" Tae-young and Kim "
Croco" Dong-beom, who have both joined LNG Esports.
Lee "
Juhan" Ju-han has also moved to the jungle for Oh My God, while Park "
Hena" Jeung-hwan and Jo "
Grizzly" Seung-hoon have signed with Ultra Prime. And it’s not only Korean players being drawn to the Chinese league: the mid–jungle duo from CTBC Flying Oyster, who had a legendary 2025 season in the LCP, Yu "
JunJia" Chun-Chia and Tsai "
HongQ" Ming-Hong, have both joined
JD Gaming.
