LCK Cup 2026 Groups and Schedule Announced: Gumayusi Battles T1 Early

2026 is the second consecutive year that the LCK is running the LCK Cup. Earlier today, the groups and schedule for the Korean opening tournament were announced. Teams picked each other in a Snake Draft format with Gen.G Esports and Hanwha Life Esports heading the groups. For the second year in a row, T1 got picked as the first team. This year, Gen.G Esports, as the LCK winners, had the first pick. In 2025, Hanwha Life Esports picked T1 first.

LCK Cup Groups

The groups for the LCK Cup are as follows:

Group Elder

• Hanwha Life Esports
• Dplus KIA
• KT Rolster
• FearX
• DRX

Group Baron

• Gen.G Esports
• T1
• Nongshim RedForce
• DN SOOPers
• BRION

In the first two weeks of competition, all teams will face opponents from the opposite group in a best-of-three series. In the third week, teams of identical seeding play against each other in a best-of-five. Best-of-three series victories grant one point, with a best-of-five win giving two points.

LCK Cup Format is Unusual

As previously mentioned, teams only play against teams from the opposing group. It means T1 and Gen.G Esports can only face each other during the Play-In or Playoff Stages. The group with the highest points tally is the winning group. As a result, their top two teams advance to the Playoffs, while the other three teams begin in the Play-In Stage.

For the losing group, only the first-place team earns a berth to the Playoffs. The last-placed team in the group is knocked out, while the other three teams compete in the Play-In. All matches throughout the Cup will utilize the Fearless Draft format. The finalists of the Playoff Stage book their ticket to the First Stand International event in Brazil.

LCK Cup Regular Season Schedule

The LCK Cup regular season begins on January 14th and ends on February 1st. Gumayusi starts his Hanwha Life LCK career against T1.

Week 1 – January 14th

KT Rolster Versus DN SOOpers

Dplus KIA Versus BRION

Week 1 – January 15th

Gen.G Esports Versus DRX

FearX Versus Nongshim Redforce

Week 1 – January 16th

DN SOOPers Versus Dplus KIA

Hanwha Life Esports Versus T1

Week 1 – January 17th

BRION Versus FearX

Gen.G Esports Versus KT Rolster

Week 1 – January 18th

Nongshim Redforce Versus Hanwha Life Esports

DRX Versus T1

Week 2 – January 21st

Dplus KIA Versus Nongshim Redforce

DRX Versus DN SOOPers

Week 2 – January 22nd

BRION Versus Hanwha Life Esports

FearX Versus Gen.G Esports

Week 2 – January 23rd

KT Rolster Versus T1

Nongshim Redforce Versus DRX

Week 2 – January 24th

Hanwha Life Esports Versus DN SOOPers

Dplus KIA Versus Gen.G Esports

Week 2 – January 25th

T1 Versus FearX

KT Rolster Versus BRION

Week 3 – January 28th

BRION Versus DRX

Week 3 – January 29th

DN SOOPers Versus FearX

Week 3 – January 30th

Nongshim Redforce Versus KT Rolster

Week 3 – January 31st

T1 Versus Dplus KIA

Week 3 – February 1st

Hanwha Life Esports Versus Gen.G Esports

Early Predictions

Without hesitation, the obvious favorites for the LCK Cup are Gen.G Esports, Hanwha Life Esports, and T1. They have been the best teams in the LCK for the past two years. The likes of T1 or Gen.G Esports could miss out on direct Playoffs qualification if their group fails to garner enough points. However, they should be able to make their way through the Play-In stage.

Dplus KIA’s roster is young, but they showed during the Kespa Cup that they have what it takes to challenge the best in the world. KT Rolster’s roster changes might lower their position in the standings, but with Bdd and Cuzz, they can punch above their weight. We saw it last year against Gen.G Esports and at the World Championship. If Scout can return to his old form, Nongshim Redforce might be a dark horse in the race for LCK Cup supremacy.