The League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) is changing how APAC teams reach the top of the region. Starting in 2027, every team will begin each split in its domestic league, the PCS, VCS or LJL. The best of them will then qualify for the LCP, which becomes the bracket stage where the region's top teams compete for regional glory and a place at global events.
The change replaces a system in which domestic teams had a single yearly shot at the LCP, and it is aimed at costs and access as much as competition.
From one door a year to a door every split
Under the current setup, domestic teams get one chance per year to earn an LCP place through the Promotion Series. Even then, only one or two teams from each league get to compete for promotion.
In the 2027 model, every team in the PCS, VCS and LJL competes for an LCP spot each split. The organizers say this gives more teams a direct route from domestic competition to the LCP and, ultimately, to global events. They also frame it as a way to keep the path into the LCP accessible across APAC and to preserve the region's diverse representation.
Some fundamentals are unchanged. The LCP stays the pinnacle of APAC League of Legends competition and remains the sole pathway into global events for APAC teams.
| Current structure | 2027 structure | |
|---|---|---|
| Route into the LCP | Promotion Series, once a year | Domestic competition in the PCS, VCS and LJL, every split |
| Teams that get a shot | One or two per league | Every team in the PCS, VCS and LJL |
| Role of the LCP | Top of APAC; only route to global events | Same, as the bracket stage for the best domestic teams |
| Team base | Some teams relocated to Taipei | Teams can move back home |
Why the league is making the move
The announcement acknowledges that parts of the original LCP model fell short. One goal was a more sustainable ecosystem for teams, but relocating to Taipei was costly for the teams that had to do it, and expenses keep rising. Being away from home also limited how much those teams could engage with local fan bases.
The organizers also point to the players, many of whom spent long stretches away from home and their support networks over a long season.
Letting teams move home is meant to address all three problems: lower operating costs, more direct engagement with fans and partners, and less time away from friends and family for most players. The organizers describe the aim as an end-to-end fan journey that runs from domestic leagues to the LCP and then to global events.
What stays the same
The LCP remains the top of the APAC ecosystem and the only route into global events for APAC teams. Wild Card regions will also keep a path into the LCP.
What changes for the money
The Global Revenue Pool (GRP) is central to the plan. The organizers describe the Regional GRP as one of the most meaningful sources of stable, recurring revenue for teams, and say it has grown their direct financial support for LCP teams over time.
For 2027, Regional GRP will continue to go to current LCP teams, including those that earn promotion or successfully defend their spot in the upcoming Promotion Series. For teams entering that series, an LCP spot carries a direct share of the GRP.
The new element is Global Event GRP. Teams that qualify for global events will also be eligible for it. The organizers put it this way: a team's earning ceiling is set by how far it goes, not just where it started. Because every domestic team can now qualify directly for the LCP, more organizations have a route to that revenue.
Building on two years of results
The announcement frames the change against the LCP's record so far. The 2025 LCP Mid Season Finals reached nearly 500,000 peak viewers, the league's largest audience to date. At Worlds 2025, CTBC Flying Oyster finished in the top 8, the first time since 2015 that an APAC team reached the Worlds quarterfinals.
In 2026, the organizers say the balance of power shifted toward Vietnamese teams. Team Secret Whales swept all the LCP titles that season and became the first APAC team to beat an LPL team in a best-of-five.
The league also credits the Promotion Series with widening access by opening a path into the LCP for Wild Card regions.
Wild Card regions and open questions
Wild Card regions will keep a path into the LCP, and the organizers say they are trying to balance competitiveness with regional representation. Slot distribution and format will be announced in the coming months. Organizers who want to run their own Wild Card tournament with a direct connection to the LCP can expect application details soon.
Several points are still unspecified. The announcement does not say how many teams will qualify from each domestic league or how the domestic-to-LCP qualification will be run within a split. Those details are part of what the organizers say will follow.
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