LCK Cup 2026 Group Draw Sees T1 and Gen.G together

The LCK has unveiled the two groups for the opening rounds of the LCK Cup 2026, which will decide the two representatives at First Stand in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as well as the schedule of the group phase.

LCK Cup 2026 Baron and Elder Groups Unveiled

The group stage draw saw T1 and Gen.G being put in the same Baron group, alongside DN SOOPers, Hanjin BRION, and Nongshim RedForce. As a result, Hanwha Life Esports, Dplus KIA, KT Rolster, BNK FearX, and DRX have been placed in the Elder group. With the group draws being finalized, the LCK Cup has also unveiled the schedule for all the matches for the initial group stage, with the opening match between KT Rolster and DN SOOPers on January 14.

According to the format, the two groups of five teams each will play against all teams from the opposing group, meaning that T1 and Gen.G won’t play against each other until later in the tournament. This, however, also means that Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) is set to play against both, with the match against T1 headlining in the first week of action on January 16. Choi ‘Zeus’ Woo-je and Lee ‘Gumayusi’ Min-hyung will have a rematch against T1 after the loss in the KeSPA Cup final. HLE will also round off the group stage phase by facing Gen.G on the last day on February 1.

Once the group stage ends, the top two teams from the Winner Group, as well as the top team from the Loser group, will advance to the playoff stage. The group category will be decided based on the combined victories from all five teams in the same group.

The three remaining teams from the Winner Group will be placed in play-ins alongside the 2nd to 4th teams from the Loser Group in a single elimination bracket. Seeding will be decided based on the number of wins, with all best-of-three except Round 3, which will be best-of-five. Play-ins will run from February 6 to February 8.

The top six will then compete in a double-elimination playoff bracket for the LCK Cup 2026 title, from February 12 to March 1. The two finalists will represent the LCK at First Stand in mid-March.

LCK Cup 2026 Group Stage Schedule

• January 14: KT Rolster vs DN SOOPers | Dplus KIA vs BRION
• January 15: Gen.G Esports vs DRX | BNK FearX vs Nongshim RedForce
• January 16: DN SOOPers vs Dplus KIA | Hanwha Life Esports vs T1
• January 17: BRION vs BNK FearX | Gen.G Esports vs KT Rolster
• January 18: Nongshim RedForce vs Hanwha Life Esports | DRX vs T1
• January 21: Dplus KIA vs Nongshim RedForce | DRX vs DN SOOPers
• January 22: BRION vs Hanwha Life Esports | BNK FearX vs Gen.G Esports
• January 23: KT Rolster vs T1 | Nongshim RedForce vs DRX
• January 24: Hanwha Life Esports vs DN SOOPers | Dplus KIA vs Gen.G Esports
• January 25: T1 vs BNK FearX | KT Rolster vs BRION
• January 28: BRION vs DRX
• January 29: DN SOOPers vs BNK FearX
• January 30: Nongshim RedForce vs KT Rolster
• January 31: T1 vs Dplus KIA
• February 1: Hanwha Life Esports vs Gen.G Esports

Where to Watch the LCK Cup

All matches will be available on LCK’s Twitch and YouTube channels. Starting this year, however, the Western audience will no longer have access to the Korean broadcast, which will be streamed exclusively on SOOP and CHZZK, following the five-year broadcasting deal with the LCK.