10 Bold Predictions for the League of Legends 2026 Season

Every year we do the same thing: pretend we’ve learned our lesson, then immediately start pencilling in “obvious” favourites before the first stage game even loads in… So let’s do the opposite. Here are 10 bold predictions for the League of Legends 2026 season that feel just unreasonable enough to be worth writing down now.

League of Legends Predictions for Season 2026

1. The LCK won’t have a “clear #1” for most of the year

While the LCK is usually known for having the same top three throughout the year, Gen.G has been the undisputed best when it comes to domestic competitions in recent times. This year, however, I strongly believe both T1 and Hanwha Life Esports, and even potentially Dplus Kia, might be able to fight much closer with the kings of the Korean league.

It would benefit everyone, including Gen.G, who is probably cursed at this point for the number of times they get to Worlds as the tournament favorites and then fail to bring it home.

2. IG will win an LPL Split

This is a bit of a stretch, but we saw some exploits already during the Demacia Cup, which IG won. Seeing them lift the title would be unthinkable for most fans, but we’re here for some bold statements and I think that IG is the team with the highest potential among the non-top teams. It will likely take a miracle, but you never know what happens in life. Keep an eye out for the younger players like Soboro and Jwei: they seem to have all the attributes to do well.

3. One team between G2 and MKOI won’t be at the League of Legends 2026 World Championship

At this point, we’re used to seeing both G2 and MKOI at international events. This year, however, it looks like many of the teams have done several upgrades to their lineups, which can be a potential issue for both MKOI and G2. With only three slots on the line and teams like Karmine Corp, Fnatic, and Team Vitality aiming to make it, this could be one prediction that could become a reality. Regardless, let’s hope to send the strongest teams we’ve got (and hope no one implodes by the time we get there…)

4. Los Ratones will be in the mid-pack of the LEC Versus

Most people are expecting Los Ratones to be in the lower pack of the standings in the LEC Versus and as a tier-two team, the expectations seem to be about right. That said, the roster actually has plenty of experience from mid-bot, which can be what the team needs to take it up a notch. It would be anything shy of incredible to see them in the top half but anything above 10th place would likely be an incredible result for the team and a clear sign that the ERL system is working as intended when it comes to being competitive.

5. Dplus Kia wins LCK Championship

We previously mentioned there is not going to be a #1 in the LCK but this one is even more of a stretch. Dplus Kia might be able to fight for the title this year if the new rookies are able to find just that tad bit more performance. ShowMaker is seemingly doing a lot better this year, and with him carrying four young players, DK’s potential can be even higher than what has been shown so far.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝘿𝙥𝙡𝙪𝙨 𝙆𝙞𝙖: 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙈𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨
#DplusKia #DKWIN #ShowMeYourMadness pic.twitter.com/pwQVxknjiZ

— Dplus Kia (@DplusKia) December 27, 2025

6. K’Sante will be the most-played champion throughout the whole season in tier one play

Guessing which is going to be the most picked champion in competitive has the same odds as predicting who is going to win the football World Cup. Nonetheless, if there is a champion I’m expecting to be popular this season, it’s going to be K’Sante. Even though he is in a weird spot for normal play, which makes him less likely to be subject to more nerfs or changes, his pro play presence is still quite high, despite the entire meta shift caused by the new season. His scaling is massive and if teams will need a beefy frontline, he’s someone who can fill that role while dealing absurd damage.

7. A Western team wins a Bo5 series against an Eastern team

This is more of a wish than a prediction. Both North America and EMEA have struggled to fight in international tournaments, and even though G2 made it to the top eight at Worlds, they lost to Top Esports, who then got destroyed by T1. All I’m hoping for is for a team to get a clean Bo5 series and put an Eastern team on the back against the wall. I don’t mind even if it’s a Chinese squad… the West just needs some momentum after years of disappointment.

8. FlyQuest gets to an international tournament

Had this been one of the two previous years, this would have been one of the easiest predictions to make. However, with the new developmental roster and the big change to both coaching staff and roster, FlyQuest find themselves with expectations as a mid-pack team. Nonetheless, the team is known for making miracles happen and overperforming compared to what is expected so there is a chance this happens once again this year.

9. One team between BLG and AL will miss out on Worlds

A similar take to the one between G2 and MKOI. Whenever top teams are expected to deliver, there is always someone who is going to drop the ball. Last year, it was BLG who did it at Worlds, getting knocked out during the Swiss stage. For 2026, the bold prediction is that one between BLG and AL doesn’t make it.

On paper, the top four teams in the LPL are BLG, AL, Weibo Gaming (WBG) and JD Gaming (JDG), with Top Esports and potentially Invictus Gaming following suit. Considering the expectations for title contention are lower for JDG and WBG, the bold prediction falls onto the other two squads.

10. T1 won’t make it in the top four at Worlds 2026

T1 has been the undisputed no. 1 team when it comes to Worlds and seeing them not making it would be a shocker. Even though Gumayusi left the team, T1 found a great replacement with Peyz and judging by the KeSPA Cup performance, the team doesn’t look any worse.

That said, considering T1 made it to Worlds 2025 but qualifying in fourth place and snatching the last spot, what if something similar happens this year, especially considering the stronger mid-pack competition, with teams like KT Rolster, Dplus Kia, BNK FearX, and Nongshim RedForce in the mix? Right now, it still seems a crazy take, but bookmark this and come back at the end of the year to see if I completely trolled it.