How does the 2023 LCS Spring Split format work?

For those hungry for professional League of Legends in North America, you won’t have to wait much longer for the start of the upcoming LCS season.

The ten LCS teams will return to the stage to compete in the 2023 Spring Split starting Jan. 26 following a brief teaser of what’s to come during the Season 2023 Kickoff. While fans will continue to see players that stole the spotlight last year, they’ll also be introduced to a handful of rookies, reintroduced to some previously-retired talent, and shown the true capabilities of a reigning world champion.

Unlike the LEC, there have been no major structural changes implemented into the LCS format for this year. However, following waves of criticism regarding scheduling changes, the LCS will retain its 4pm CT start time slot—though now will take place on Thursdays and Fridays, rather than on weekends.

Therefore fans familiar with the North American scene will witness another season of the same format and number of games that they’ve become accustomed to—likely to continue into the Summer Split, which does not yet have a start date. Yet for those unfamiliar with the LCS structure, here is an explanation of the Spring Split format and how it leads into the Spring Playoffs.

2023 LCS Spring Split format explained

The Spring Split runs for eight weeks, starting Jan. 26 and ending on March 17, then followed by a playoffs bracket that will run from March 23 to April 9.

The regular season will be conducted in a standard double round-robin format, where each team will play against one another twice, once per each half of the split. Teams will carry their win/loss records with them throughout the split into the final few weeks, where the top six teams with the highest records will be seeded into the Spring Playoffs—top four into the upper bracket, the other two into the lower bracket.

Each match during the regular season will be conducted in a best-of-one format with each champion in the game available to be used barring the discovery of any game-breaking bugs. Should a new champion be released during the season, it will be banned from use by any team for two weeks.

Should any teams have tied scores at the end of the Spring Split, the LCS will first take into account their head-to-head records, then issue the necessary number of tiebreaker matches immediately after the completion of the final day’s scheduled matches. Any match delays or unexpected circumstances are expected to be addressed by the LCS as they occur.