League Championship Series (esports)

League Championship Series

Current season, competition or edition: 2024 LCS season
Formerly	North American League of Legends Championship Series (2013–2018) League of Legends Championship Series (2019–2020)
Game	League of Legends
Founded	2013; 11 years ago (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)	Mid Season Invitational World Championship
Related competitions	LEC, LCK, LPL
Official website	www.lolesports.com

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.