u/strafeapp

[OFFICIAL]

The LPL has revealed the Split 3 playoff schedule and venues, with the postseason starting August 28.

The Knights Rivals play-in runs August 28–30 in Beijing, followed by the playoffs in Shanghai from September 3–8. Finals weekend is set for September 12–13, while the Regional Finals will run September 17–19.

The Split 3 champion will qualify for Worlds 2026 as China’s first seed.

Team Vitality face FaZe Clan in the EWC 2026 Round of 16 on August 20, with a $2M prize pool on the line.

Vitality have won the last four meetings against FaZe, while both teams enter the playoffs in strong form.

FaZe have the momentum, but Vitality's experience and ZywOo's firepower give them the edge.

Prediction: Vitality 2–1 FaZe

What is your prediction?

[OFFICIAL] Gentle Mates has officially exited Counter-Strike, ending its partnership with the Spanish roster.

The team will continue competing under the Iberian Soul name with
alex
mopoz
sausol
dav1g, and
CRUC1AL

While djL steps in as coach for the Esports World Cup Open Qualifier.

[RECORD] GEN 🇰🇷 Kiin has become the first top laner in LCK history to reach 500 career wins.

The milestone adds another chapter to the veteran's legendary career as Gen.G continues its push near the top of the LCK standings.

Worlds 2026 is starting to take shape, with qualification spots being locked in across every major region.

So far, Team Secret Whales are the first confirmed team to qualify for the World Championship, securing the LCP Championship Points slot.

A total of 19 teams will compete across Los Angeles, Allen, and Brooklyn from October 15 to November 14.

[LUCID] Dplus jungler Lucid says the team's mentality has completely changed since winning the Esports World Cup.

After DK's comeback win over Hanwha Life Esports, Lucid said victories are no longer "an unattainable dream" but a goal the team knows it can achieve, adding that all five players now share the same vision and direction.

He also said he's looking forward to facing Gen.G next and hopes to deliver another win for the fans.

The Canadian Armed Forces have unveiled their first-ever Counter-Strike 2 roster.

The team will represent Canada at the inaugural International Defence Esports Games 2026 (IDEG), where military personnel from more than 40 allied nations will compete across multiple esports titles.

(Source: Royal Canadian Air Force Game Force)

[FREE] Riot is giving away free League Classic icons through redeemable codes.

Available now:
• Annie — CC-CLASS-ANNIE-T0123
• Alistar — CC-CLASS-ALIST-T0123

Community members have also discovered these unreleased codes:
• Morgana — CC-CLASS-MORGA-T0123 (not officially released yet)
• Warwick — CC-CLASS-WARWI-T0123 (not officially released yet)

To redeem them, head to riot.com/Classic, log in with your Riot account, and enter each code one by one.

SK Square has issued its first official response to the ongoing controversy surrounding T1's exclusive sponsorship agency and vacant CEO position.

The company said it views the sponsorship agency arrangement as "a matter for the CEO's decision-making" and confirmed it will discuss the appointment of T1's next CEO with Comcast before sharing further details.

SK Square did not address allegations that some sponsorships secured directly by T1 staff were processed through CAA Singapore or whether an internal audit is planned.

(Source: Sports Seoul)

The teams that came closest to completing the Golden Road in League of Legends:

SK Telecom T1 — 2015
✅LCK Spring → ❌MSI Final → ✅LCK Summer → ✅Worlds Champion

SK Telecom T1 — 2016
✅LCK Spring → ✅MSI → ❌LCK Summer → ✅Worlds Champion

Royal Never Give Up — 2018
✅LPL Spring → ✅MSI → ✅LPL Summer → ❌ Worlds Quarterfinal

G2 Esports — 2019
✅LEC Spring → ✅MSI → ✅LEC Summer → ❌Worlds Final

JD Gaming — 2023
✅LPL Spring → ✅MSI → ✅LPL Summer → ❌Worlds Semifinal

Bilibili Gaming — 2026
✅First Stand → ✅LPL Split 1 → ✅LPL Split 2 → ❌MSI Final

Different teams. Different eras. The same ending.

No League of Legends team has ever completed the Golden Road.

The LPL has played more games than any other major League of Legends region in 2026 so far.

🇨🇳 LPL — 472 games, 101 series
🇰🇷 LCK — 349 games, 85 series
🇪🇺 LEC — 261 games, 80 series
🌏 LCP — 211 games, 77 series
🇧🇷 CBLOL — 183 games, 59 series
🇺🇸 LCS — 166 games, 53 series

The gap between regions is massive. Is there a format problem in LoL esports?

Peyz on what he wants to achieve with T1:

“I don't just want to be remembered as someone who played for T1. I want to be remembered as someone the team truly needed.”

His goal is to become a player everyone believes is worthy of wearing the T1 jersey.

FalleN believes the high sticker prices give fans little incentive to participate compared to the old system, where spending less and having a chance to get something valuable helped drive community interest.

He is now only 47 ELO away from breaking maiL09’s all-time FACEIT record of 5,415 ELO. 👀

Try searching the GOAT’s name and see what happens. 🐐

5 YEARS LATER.

DK ShowMaker 🇰🇷 wins his first trophy since LCK Summer 2021!

The wait is finally over.

electroNic on which top team he wants to beat

"Any team, I guess. Every top team I would like to beat. There's no specific team. Our goal is just to beat the top teams, so we want to beat everyone."

(via: BC Game Esports tweet)

Faker on what keeps him competing after achieving it all

"Growing teenagers can get good inspiration by watching us play. Of course, it is great to live doing what I love, but I think the very act of showing good matches for the fans is incredibly meaningful."

Even after 13 years at the top, Faker continues to compete with a sense of responsibility to his fans and the next generation of esports players.

T1 Peyz 🇰🇷 on his favorite part about France 🇫🇷:

"It's my third time in Paris, and I really like the food and the structures. The buildings are so beautiful."

He also revealed his favorite Western foods:

"I like Western food in general, but especially pizza and steak."

Via EWC_stcArena_EN on Twitch