Riot Games has announced that 21 organizations have submitted applications to the 2021 LCK franchised league and beyond. Among those names are teams like Jin Air, kt Rolster and T1.
21 organizations have applied for a spot in the franchised LCK league for 2021 and beyond. (Photo courtesy Riot Games.)
17 teams from the current LCK and Challengers Korea have submitted applications to join the league. A further four organizations outside of the current system are looking to get a franchise slot. Pittsburgh Knights and Treasure Hunter are such organizations, who have partnered with several Korean teams to get their application through.
The only exception not applying for franchising among the current LCK and CK teams is Griffin. Griffin recently entered the Challengers Korea league with a new roster after several of their members left for other teams or entered free agency after their relegation. Their lack of a letter of interest (LOI) is a sign Griffin intends on leaving League of Legends after their 2020 drama and relegation.
Also, the rumors of NRG Esports and FaZe Clan joining the LCK have fallen flat. Neither team applied for the LCK, meaning it’s unlikely we’ll see them considered for a slot in the near future.
The full list of applications is as follows: T1, kt Rolster, Hanwha Life Esports, SeolHaeOne Prince, SANDBOX Gaming, Team Dynamics, DAMWON Gaming, GEN.G, Afreeca Freecs, DragonX, hyFresh Blade, Element Mystic, Jin Air Green Wings, Awesome Spear, Runaway, OZ Gaming, ESC Shane, World Game Star, Gamer Republic, Inc, and WDG.
So far, there is no news on how many teams will be accepted into the 2021 LCK. The league currently has 10 slots but could be expanded considering the size of the CK league. Check back for more information as Riot continue to reveal more details around the new LCK league.
