League of Legends Championship Pacific 2025: Everything you need to know

The LoL Championship Pacific is changing its format next season.

The League of Legends In 2025, Championship Pacific (LCP) will change the esports landscape of the game in the Asia Pacific region. Bringing together the best talent from across the region, the LCP will provide a fresh format, intense competitive stages and a new promotion/relegation system that opens the door for teams looking to make their mark.

Ahead of the 2025 season, let’s take a closer look at how teams will manage this robust structure to compete for regional glory and the best chance to represent the Asia-Pacific region on the global stage.

A breakdown of the LCP 2025 format

The 2025 season will look somewhat similar to the structure of the VALORANT Champions Tour, consisting of three distinct sections: Early Season, Mid Season, and Final Season. Each division carries significant stakes, and the first LCP champion will be crowned at the season finale.

The beginning of the season

The season begins with the LCP Season Kickoff, where eight teams face off in a round robin (BO3) during the Regular Season.

The top six teams advance to a qualifying series to determine who will represent the LCP at the first international event of the year. Matches get more intense here, with teams competing in BO3 and best-of-five (BO5) rounds.

To add to the excitement, Fearless Draft rules apply throughout the Kickoff season. This draft style prevents teams from picking champions that have been used in previous games in each best series, encouraging teams to diversify their strategies and compositions.

Mid season

After the international event, the teams regroup for a mid-season split. Here, they aim to qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), with two slots available for LCP teams.

During the regular season, teams face each other in a round-robin (BO1) format to determine the top six contenders for the qualifying series.

As the stakes rise, the qualifying series moves to BO3 matches for rounds 1 and 2, and BO5 rounds for the final matches. The top two teams from this stage secure their spots for MSI. Mid-season results will also affect seeding in the season finale.

Season finale

The competition reaches its peak with the LCP season finale after MSI. Here, teams are seeded based on results midway through the season, with the winner not only being crowned the first-ever LCP champion, but also earning one of the three World Cup qualification spots. In addition, the second highest-scoring MSI region will receive an additional Worlds slot, allowing LCP to send up to three teams to the Worlds.

Further specifics of the season finale format will be announced as the break approaches.

Promotions and Demotions: Improving competitive play

One of the most anticipated features of LCP is Promotion and Relegation (P&R) tournament.a system designed to increase competitiveness and encourage diversity. This tournament allows the top teams from the domestic leagues in the Asia-Pacific region to earn a place in the LCP, while the lower-ranked LCP teams defend their places.

Key elements of tournament P&R include:

• Accountability of the visiting team: Lower-placed visiting teams may face relegation while remaining high in the LCP.
• Participation in the domestic league: High-ranked teams from leagues such as PCS, VCS and LJL can participate in the P&R tournament, competing for a spot with LCP teams.
• Wild Card Slots: Teams from regions such as Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia will have a chance to qualify for the LCP. Details of the wild card system will be announced soon.

This framework rewards performance and provides a pathway for promising teams, enriching the competitive landscape in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tier 2 leagues and regional expansion

In partnership with national leagues such as the PCS, VCS and LJL, the LCP will include Tier 2 competition schemes in 2025. Each partner league will release further details, adding new competition levels to the Asia-Pacific ecosystem. Plans are also underway for an OCE (Oceania) competitive circuit, which will provide another route to the LCP for the region’s emerging stars.

LCP will announce the official team line-up on November 3rd at 12:00 GMT+8 via social media channels to give fans a first look at who will compete for the LCP crown in 2025.

With a new format, heightened competition and expanded access for teams across the region, the LCP is set to be a game-changer for League of Legends eSports in the Asia-Pacific region. The journey to the top of the LCP promises to be exciting for fans and participants alike.