The 2026 Spring Splits completely shuffled the familiar League of Legends hierarchy, turning the qualification for the LAN finals in Daejeon into real chaos. I closely followed the final matches of the major regions on Liquipedia and am still trying to grasp the scale of the top favorites’ collapse. Teams that were considered undeniable contenders for first place back in January are now heading on an early vacation. This shuffle in the regional standings completely breaks analysts’ preliminary predictions for the upcoming international tournament. The current balance of power proves that the individual skill of specific stars no longer guarantees an automatic pass to the next stage of the competition.
Fnatic’s Performance Results in the LEC Spring Split
The main disappointment in the European region for me was the fall of Fnatic. On paper, their current roster looked highly competitive before the start of the 2026 season. However, the first serious problems appeared back in LEC Versus 2026, where the team showed frankly weak play. Back then in the playoff stage, they lost 2 matches in a row and quickly dropped out of the tournament. Thanks to the new winter split format, they managed to earn a few points off lower-level teams just to make it to the playoffs. I assumed the coaching staff would draw the right conclusions by March, but in practice, the situation only got worse.
During the spring split, the squad managed to completely fail the group stage and didn’t even make it to the playoffs. The final brackets, including the global lol esports team standings at the end of all regional tours, recorded the logical outcome of their performance. Over the entire spring regular season, Fnatic managed to secure only 3 wins with 6 losses. Looking at the match statistics on Liquipedia, it becomes obvious that the club was simply not ready for the current meta.
As a result, we are witnessing a sad picture of a once-successful organization transforming. From a stable top-4 participant in the European league, Fnatic has turned into a below-average team right before our eyes. The current results make it clear that they have nothing to do at the upcoming LAN matches in Daejeon. I believe that without a serious review of their drafts or roster changes for the summer split, it will be extremely difficult for the club to regain its former positions.
Nongshim RedForce and Invictus Gaming Standings in LCK and LPL
In the Eastern leagues, the situation turned out to be just as interesting, especially on the Korean LCK scene. Following the reshuffles before the start of the winter split, I had high hopes for the Nongshim RedForce roster due to the big names on their team. But reality did not match expectations. The winter stage ended with them in 7th place, and I expected them to find their synergy by spring. In reality, the team’s results only got worse.
The LCK spring split turned into a complete disappointment for Nongshim. The team could not even grab a spot in the playoff zone. Throughout the entire regular season, the roster won only 4 matches. With such a weak win rate, their early exit looks entirely logical, and any thoughts of a ticket to the Daejeon LAN could be immediately forgotten.
Meanwhile, in the Chinese LPL, the prominent tag Invictus Gaming showed a similar decline. After the Demacia Cup 2025 that concluded last year’s season, the team failed to achieve anything significant over the past two splits. In the final standings, they only secured 5th-6th places, dropping out long before the finals time and again. Personally, I believe that for a tag with such a history, these results are almost unacceptable.
LCS and CBLOL Seeding After Dignitas and Keyd Stars Drop Out
The overseas leagues also brought their surprises, completely reshaping the bracket before the LAN matches. Looking at the Brazilian CBLOL region, the situation with Vivo Keyd Stars leaves me with mixed feelings. The team played the regular stage of the tournament quite well, consistently gathering points, and I fully expected to see them in the decisive playoff matches.
However, at a crucial moment, they faced LOUD and lost the series 2-1. This result came as a surprise to me, since LOUD are currently far from their best form and showed very shaky play throughout the season. Nevertheless, this was enough to knock out Keyd Stars and strip them of their chances for the Daejeon trip.
In the American LCS, the situation was even more clear-cut. The Dignitas roster took the very bottom spot of the tournament table, showing a disastrous result. Throughout the entire spring split, the team secured exactly 0 series wins. But the detailed statistics look even more tragic – during the whole regular season, they managed to take only 3 games from their opponents. With numbers like these, discussing any form of competition on the professional scene simply makes no sense.
Slot Distribution for the LAN Tournament in Daejeon
Now that the tournament bracket in Daejeon is fully formed, past analytical models can be safely set aside. Because of these upsets, top-seed teams are matched against underdogs who don’t have the pressure of expectations. I assume the first matches on May 28 will bring new unexpected results, as the meta will noticeably change by the start of the tournament. The betting odds statistics already show that the gap between the nominal leaders and outsiders has shrunk to a minimum.
So far this year, the level of play in the European league is closely trailing the leaders from the LPL and LCK. Because of this, the balance of power on the international stage looks highly intriguing, breaking the usual patterns of past years. The dominance of Asian teams no longer seems as absolute as before, adding extra suspense to the spring matches.
So it is quite possible that surprises await us, just like at the recent First Stand tournament. Instead of the usual all-Korean final or a Korea vs. China final, we might well see a European team in the deciding match. The current form of the LEC rosters allows us to expect a tight fight for the main trophy.
Conclusion
The Spring Split clearly showed that stability in League of Legends has become a great rarity. The early exits of Fnatic and the poor results of Invictus Gaming made the upcoming LAN tournament in South Korea extremely intriguing for fans. Now all attention is focused on the opening series, which will show whether the new regional leaders can secure their success on the international stage. The current competitive season will definitely be remembered for a huge number of unpredictable results and a shift in the usual favorites.
