League Championship Series (esports)
| Upcoming season or competition: 2026 LCS season | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Game | League of Legends |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Riot Games |
| First season | 2013 |
| Replaced by | League of Legends Championship of The Americas (2025 only) |
| Owner | Riot Games |
| Commissioner | Mark Zimmerman |
| Motto | "Made by many" |
| No. of teams | Spring 2013–Summer 2014: 8 Spring 2015–Summer 2023: 10 Spring 2024–Summer 2024: 8 2025: 8 (LTA North) 2026–Now: 8 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Continent | North America |
| Most recent champion | LYON (Lock-In 2026) |
| Most titles | Team SoloMid (7) |
| Relegation to | (Guest teams only)
|
| International cups | |
| Related competitions | CBLOL, LCK, LCP, LEC, LPL |
| Official website | www |
The League Championship Series (LCS) is the top level of professional League of Legends in the United States, Canada and Northern Latin America. The esports league is run by Riot Games. Each annual season of competition is divided into three splits, which conclude with a double-elimination tournament between the top teams. At the end of each split, the top teams qualify for international tournaments, currently First Stand, the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship.
Established in 2013, the league was initially split into two regions: the European League of Legends Championship Series (EU LCS) and the North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS). The NA LCS featured eight teams, which were determined via a promotion and relegation system. In 2015, the league expanded to ten teams. In 2018, the NA LCS shifted to a franchise system with ten permanent teams, which became eight after the 2023 season. Along with the new model, the league rebranded to simply the League of Legends Championship Series, aligning with the EU LCS's change to League of Legends European Championship, creating unique identities for major regions. The franchise era of the LCS has witnessed several team sales and rebranding efforts. The 2020 season introduced format changes and had to adapt to online play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the LCS again rebranded to the League Championship Series. The 2023 season saw controversy with the LCS Players Association (LCSPA) threatening a player walkout over financial support for teams in the North American Challengers League (NACL).
For the 2025 season, the LCS merged with the Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLOL) and Liga Latinoamérica (LLA) to form the League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA). During the lone LTA season, the LCS name was retired and became the LTA North as one of the league's two conferences. The LCS returned as a standalone league in 2026, retiring the LTA name in return.
With the exception of some touring events, all games of the LCS are played live at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, California. In addition to a small studio audience, all games are streamed live on Twitch and YouTube.