Current season, competition or edition:![]() | |
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Formerly |
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Game | League of Legends |
Founded | 2013 |
Founder | Riot Games |
First season | 2013 |
Owner(s) | Riot Games |
Commissioner | Mark Zimmerman[1] |
Motto | "Made by many" |
No. of teams | 8 |
Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
Continent | North America |
Most recent champion(s) | Team Liquid (Spring 2024) |
Most titles | Doublelift (8) |
International cup(s) | |
Related competitions | LEC, LCK, LPL |
Official website | www |
The League Championship Series (LCS) is the top level of professional League of Legends in the United States and Canada. The esports league is run by Riot Games and has eight franchise teams. Each annual season of competition is divided into two splits, spring and summer, which conclude with a double-elimination tournament between the top teams. At the end of the season, the winner, runners-up and third-place team of the summer playoffs qualify for the annual League of Legends 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).
The LCS will form one half of a pan-Americas league with the Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLOL) and Liga Latinoamérica (LLA) in 2025, with the LCS becoming a Northern Conference under this new setup.
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.