Inaugural LCP 2025 Season to kick off January 17

The League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) is set to transform the esports landscape in the Asia-Pacific region. Launching its first season on 17 January 2025, the LCP is the sole pathway for regional teams to qualify for global events, uniting top talent and fostering competitive growth.

Participating Teams

The LCP 2025 season features an exciting lineup of teams, with both Partner and Guest representatives showcasing the diversity and strength of the region:

LCP 2025 Teams (Image Source: Riot Games)

Partner Teams:

• CTBC Flying Oyster
• Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming
• GAM Esports
• Talon

Guest Teams:

• DetonatioN FocusMe
• MGN Vikings Esports
• Team Secret Whales
• The Chiefs Esports Club

These teams will compete for regional dominance, global qualification, and the honor of being crowned the first-ever LCP champion.

Season Format

Regular Season

The Regular Season is split into two phases:

• Group Stage

• • Teams are seeded into Contender and Breakout groups based on Mid-Season performance.
  • A Single Round-Robin BO3 format will determine initial standings.

• Group Seeding Bracket
• • A reshuffle occurs via a group breaker, where key matches decide final group placements.
  • Teams then compete in a Double Elimination format to secure advancement.

Playoffs

The top teams from the Regular Season enter a Playoff phase, featuring BO3 and BO5 matches in a Double Elimination bracket. The stakes?

The title of LCP Champion and qualification to Worlds.

LCP 2025 Season Bracket (Image Source: Riot Games)

You can check out THIS ARTICLE to learn more about our initial report on the League of Legends International Format for 2025.

Promotion and Relegation

Following the conclusion of the Season Finals Playoffs, the Promotion and Relegation (P&R) Tournament will determine which Guest teams secure their place in the LCP for 2026. Based on the Season Finals standings, two types of Guest spots will be contested:

1. Free-for-All (FFA) Spot

• The lowest-placed Guest team in the LCP, regardless of their home region, will compete for the FFA Guest spot.
• This team will face challengers from Wild Card regions and qualified teams from existing domestic leagues.

2. Regional Merit Spot

• Once the FFA spot is decided, the second Guest team eligible for the P&R will be selected based on these criteria:
  1. If multiple remaining Guest teams are from the same home region, the lower-placed team from that region will enter the P&R.
  2. If the remaining Guest teams are from different home regions, the second-lowest-placed Guest team, regardless of region, will compete.
• Teams from domestic leagues competing for the Regional Merit slot will not contest the FFA spot.
  

Exemption

• Guest teams that qualify for Worlds in the same year will be exempt from participating in the P&R tournament.

Outcome

• Winning teams in the P&R tournament secure their spot as Guest teams for the 2026 LCP season.
• Losing teams will return to their respective domestic leagues or await an opportunity to qualify through the next Wild Card tournament.

Further details about the P&R tournament format will be revealed closer to the event.

LCP Promotion and Relegation Format (Omage Source: Riot Games)

Live Patch Matches: Ensuring Fair Play

Most matches in the LCP will be played on the live patch, ensuring a dynamic and current gameplay experience. Exceptions will apply when patches are released too close to match days or during critical tournament phases.

Season Kickoff

The LCP Season Kickoff runs from 17 January to 23 February and sets the stage for the global First Stand event. Matches will be played weekly at 18:00 GMT+8.

LCP 2025 Opening Matches schedule (Image Source: Riot Games)

Week 1 Matches:

• 17 January:
  • CTBC Flying Oyster vs MGN Vikings Esports (18:00 CST | 02:00am PT)
  • Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming vs GAM Esports (20:30 CST | 04.30am PT)
• 18 January:
  • DetonatioN FocusMe vs Team Secret Whales (18:00 CST | 02:00am PT)
  • The Chiefs Esports Club vs Talon (20:30 CST | 04.30am PT)
• 19 January:
  • MGN Vikings Esports vs GAM Esports (18:00 CST | 02:00am PT)
  • Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming vs CTBC Flying Oyster (20:30 CST | 04.30am PT)

All match times are in China Standard Time.

For updates, visit lolesports.com.

Where to Watch

The inaugural LCP season will be broadcast in multiple languages with multiple stream options:

ENGLISH

• Twitch
• YouTube

VIETNAMESE

• YouTube
• TikTok

TRADITIONAL CHINESE

• Twitch
• YouTube

JAPANESE

• Twitch
• YouTube

The LCP 2025 season promises thrilling competition, showcasing the best of Asia-Pacific’s League of Legends talent. With a commitment to diversity, innovation, and excellence, this inaugural season is set to leave a lasting legacy in Asian Esports. Don’t miss the action starting 17th January!

Follow Strafe Esports for all the latest League news and our X account for the latest content and coverages. Also, stay tuned to Strafe YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

For more League of Legends rostermania news, check out our LEC, LCK, LPL and LTA North/South rostermanias for all the latest shuffles. To check when your favorite league will kick off again in 2025, check out our schedule here.

Featured Image source: Riot Games

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