10 Storylines You Need to Follow in the 2026 League of Legends Season

Fifteen years of LoL Esports have flown by, and there are still the same kings at the top: T1. With one of the most thrilling offseasons we’ve seen in recent years, here are the ten narratives you need to keep in mind as we head into the League of Legends 2026 season.

1. Is Tier Two strong enough to fight in Tier One? The Los Ratones and Karmine Corp Blue stress test

Even though Europe is not doing the greatest when it comes to international results, the league has often been among the first to innovate and bring new ideas to the table. In 2026, EMEA has done it once again: the LEC will welcome two teams from the tier-two ERLs and fight against the 10 tier-one teams in the LEC Versus.

We will finally get an answer to a major conversation: is there a gap between tier-two and tier-one? How big is it? For both Los Ratones and Karmine Corp Blue, it will be the golden opportunity for their players to prove their worth and potentially set a new standard for more crossover matches between these two competitions, including the chance to have more promotion/relegation tournaments in the years to come.

2. Will CTBC Flying Oysters continue domestic domination?

CTBC Flying Oysters (CFO) came from an incredible 2025 campaign. It took part in all international tournaments, forced world champions T1 to five games at MSI, and finished in the top eight at the League of Legends World Championship. Even though more than half of the roster left the team at the end of the season, the new roster has good enough replacements for us to see CFO fight in 2026.

The question will be whether they will be able to repeat the same level of dominance in the LCP. With new teams joining the league and more upgrades across the board, it might not be as easy as it was this year.

3. Did FlyQuest make the right choice going developmental?

FlyQuest (FLY) are not expected to be the frontrunners of the returning LCS in 2026. After a disappointing Worlds run, the team saw three players leave FLY and the North American team has decided to take a completely different direction heading into the new year, bringing in a series of young talents alongside the core of mid laner Song ‘Quad‘ Su-hyeong and ADC Fahad ‘Massu‘ Abdulmalek.

While the potential is definitely there, FLY will need some time for the new players to truly bloom. That said, they won’t have much time, especially with Worlds taking place in their home region next year.

4. Which LCS teams will lead the charge?

Speaking of the League of Legends world championship, many LCS teams have decided to go big this year, putting together several top-tier rosters. On paper, there are at least up to five or six teams that have the potential to fight for the championship, making it the perfect chance to make the LCS great again.

Whether it’s LYON with jungler Kacper ‘Inspired‘ Słoma, Shopify Rebellion with the young prospect Yoo ‘Zinie‘ Baek-jin, Cloud9 with the mid laner Eain ‘APA‘ Stearns, or Team Liquid with four Korean players, the North American circuit is set to be explosive. With three Worlds spots on the line, everyone will be dying to make it.

5. One Last Run for G2?

From North America back to Europe. G2 Esports were once again the best Western League of Legends team at the end of the year, although still far away from the glorious days of the previous decade. While there is almost no doubt that G2 will be among the top teams, 2026 will be the second year with the same roster… and it could be the last one for this lineup.

Over the past years, G2 has always worked with bi-annual rosters, but aside from Rasmus ‘Caps‘ Borregaard Winther, all players have contracts running out at the end of 2026. If results do not come around, could this be the last year before we see a major rebuild? The domestic and international success will likely dictate that.

6. The most stacked LCK mid lane competition ever?

The LCK has always had a competitive stack of mid laners, but 2026 is borderline ridiculous. With Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong coming from his best year on KT, former world champion Lee “Scout” Ye-chan returning to the LCK, and Heo “ShowMaker” Su seemingly in much better form with the new Dplus KIA lineup, the usual “Fantastic four” are bound to become six. Even though mid laners are usually no longer the stars of the show as much as they used to be in the past years, fans are going to be delighted to see them go at it.

7. Is Anyone’s Legend going to be the best Chinese team once again?

Even though the results might not prove it, Anyone’s Legend (AL) was the undisputed best LPL team in 2025. The team has decided to run back the same roster in 2026, trusting the process that teams can get increasingly stronger the longer they play.

While the loss of head coach Wong ‘Tabe‘ Pak Kan is not negligible, AL has the right approach and mentality to contest the Korean powerhouses. They were highly underrated last year… 2026 won’t be the case.

8. Will Viper give the LPL another trophy?

It’s been over four years since the LPL last lifted the League of Legends Summoner’s Cup, and after several failed attempts at winning Worlds with a full Chinese roster, BiliBili Gaming (BLG) has finally decided to give that idea up and go all-in with the strongest roster possible.

By bringing back jungler Peng ‘Xun‘ Li-xun and important Park ‘Viper‘ Do-hyeon, BLG made it clear that the team wants to aim for both domestic and international success. While the start hasn’t looked great, with the team looking incredibly off at the Demacia Cup, this is still the LPL team with the highest potential going into 2026. That said, this is still only on paper…

9. Is 2026 going to be Gen.G’s year?

Throughout 2025, everyone believed Gen.G was going to fight for the League of Legends World Championship and at least make it to the grand final. That was until KT Rolster sent them home in one of the most shocking upsets in Worlds history.

On paper, this team has it all: teamfighting, fundamentals, experience. Yet they were caught once again by the title favorite curse. In 2026, the team kept the same lineup but changed the coaching staff, which was often questioned whenever the team had ups and downs in performance. Will the new head coach Ryu “Ryu” Sang-wook finally give Gen.G the League of Legends World Championship?

10. Gumayusi & Zeus vs. Faker, Oner, and Keria is the rivalry we didn’t ask for

Two years ago, everyone was hoping for ZOFGK to stick together after winning back-to-back world championships. Fast forward to now, the legendary lineup is split into two sides: Lee ‘Faker‘ Sang-hyeok/Mun ‘Oner‘ Hyeon-jun/Ryu ‘Keria‘ Min-seok still playing for T1, while Choi ‘Zeus‘ Woo-je and Lee ‘Gumayusi‘ Min-hyeong are trying to chase new glory on Hanwha Life Esports. Who will get the last laugh between the two teams? Regardless of who wins, this will be the main storyline for the League of Legends 2026 season.