Starting next season, the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series (PCS) ecosystem will continue its expansion to include the League of Legends Japan League (LJL). This follows the inclusion of the League of Legends Circuit Oceania (LCO) earlier this year.
This evolution is part of our multi-year strategy to strengthen the League esports ecosystem in the Asia Pacific region. There is still a lot of work to be done, and we’ll have more updates in the future. But for now, we wanted to share our key principles that will guide the development of League esports in the region:
- **Create a unified, Pacific league** that can become a powerhouse in the global League of Legends Esports ecosystem. We hope that by giving teams a chance to test their mettle against other strong competitors on a pan-regional level, we can improve the quality of all pro teams and foster a higher level of competition across a multi-tiered ecosystem.
- **Improve the fan experience** by providing quality broadcast products in English, Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese, and more hyper-local experiences across the region. Fans can look forward to diverse matchups between existing PCS teams, LJL, and LCO teams. And it will be easier than ever to get league updates and match information via unified PCS social channels.
- **Create a more sustainable esports ecosystem** where pro players and organizations can grow. This consolidation is the first step towards providing pro teams with a bigger platform with new fan bases and viewership potential.
LJL players will also now be considered residents of the PCS, which means they can join any team within the PCS ecosystem without being considered an import player. However, LJL teams will still require to have at least three Japanese players on their roster.
ROADMAP
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Similar to when LCO joined the PCS ecosystem last season, the LJL will continue to play its domestic season in Japan. Then, the top three teams from LJL will seed into the PCS Playoffs and compete with other PCS and LCO teams for a spot at international events such as MSI and Worlds.
The first placed team from the Spring Split will enter MSI, while the top two teams from the Summer Split will qualify for Worlds.
PCS PLAYOFFS FORMAT
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The top three teams from the LJL will move onto the PCS Playoffs, where they will join the top six teams from the PCS and the top two teams from the LCO. The PCS Playoffs will now be divided into two stages, with three top seeds placed directly into Stage Two.
In Stage One, teams will be split into Groups A and B, competing in a double-elimination format with winners of each group advancing. The remaining teams will compete to become the Lower Bracket winners of their groups. The two victors will then compete in an Advancement Match for the final Stage Two spot.
In Stage Two, the six qualified teams go to battle as they make their way through a double-elimination bracket to be crowned the best team in the Pacific.
More details on seeding distribution will be shared soon.
LOOKING FORWARD
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This approach to enhance the competitiveness of our sport will continue for years to come. We recognise that this is a big change, and we expect there to be some growing pains as we expand the league. However, we are confident that this development will ultimately help to make our league more sustainable for the future.
We hope you’ll continue to join us as we work to elevate the LoL Esports experience in our region even further.
