LCK 2026 Season Opening: Role-Based Teams Announced

The LCK 2026 Season Opening will take place this Friday, January 9, and the lineups have been revealed on Monday. For the past two years, the LCK has organized a pre-season tournament in which five teams compete in exhibition matches to determine which role is the strongest. Each of the five teams is composed exclusively of players sharing the same role, and all participants are confirmed to compete in the LCK during the upcoming season.

Among the selected players are the five representatives from T1, including the most recent addition, Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan, who will all play on the team corresponding to their respective positions. As every LCK organization must be represented, the competition will feature three players from Gen.G Esports and Hanwha Life Esports, while the remaining seven teams will each contribute two players.

The teams were drafted by five captains, one for each role, who were required to comply with the rule regarding team representation, as previously detailed (all T1 players but only three Gen.G-HLE players, and a maximum of two players from the remaining teams). The captains by position were Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk, and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok. The draft was conducted by the captains in a video published on the LCK YouTube channel, during which they selected players one by one.

As is often the case, the midlane team brings together the highest concentration of star players. Last year, the midlaners had already claimed victory, notably due to the presence of the "four emperors" of the LCK within their roster. This year, Gwak "Bdd" Bo-sung will not be part of the lineup due to the draft order; however, Heo "ShowMaker" Su (Dplus KIA) and Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon (Gen.G) will once again represent the role, alongside Lee "Scout" Ye-chan (Nongshim RedForce) and Son "Ucal" Woo-hyeon (DRX).

Opposing them will nevertheless be several compelling teams and player combinations that promise entertaining matchups. Team ADC will rely on its younger talents, including Peyz, Sin "Smash" Guem-jae (DK), and Nam "Diable" Dae-geun (FEARX). Having only recently transitioned to the support role, Jang "Ghost" Yong-jun (KT Rolster) could return to the AD carry position one final time alongside his teammates. Team Jungle, winners of the 2024 edition, will be able to count on Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok (HLE) this time around, while Team Top, finalists last year, will notably feature Kim "Kiin" Ki-in (Gen.G) and Choi "Doran" Hyeon-jun (T1).