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The LCS Summer Split will start this weekend.
This weekend will see the start of the LCS Summer Split that will see the top three teams from the region qualify for the World Championship at the end of September. The LCS is the last of the four major regions to start its Summer Split campaign that will take place from June 5th to September 7th, just a few weeks shy of the start of Worlds 2024.
But unlike most regions, the LCS will only have eight teams competing during the Summer Split. Team Liquid will be one of the key teams to look out for after they won the LCS Spring Split a few months ago, the org's first since Summer 2019. As it stands, Liquid is still the only org to have won four regional splits in a row, something only a handful of orgs have accomplished in League of Legends.
LCS Summer Split - Format & Schedule
- Group Stage: June 15th - August 11th
- Playoffs: TBC
The LCS will keep the same format structure for the Summer Split with a group stage and a playoff section. It will first start with a single round-robin format for the group stage with each team playing one another just once. Unlike its previous splits, this year will not have a ‘Super Week’ where each team plays an additional series. All matches during the group stage will be a best-of-three series to determine the top-six teams that will qualify for the playoffs.
There will be two matches a day twice a week that will more often than not take place over the weekend aside for week three, which will take place on a Thursday and Friday. There will be a one-month after that as teams start to prepare for the Esports World Cup where both Team Liquid and FlyQuest will be attending.
The playoffs will be a double-elimination bracket with each series being a best-of-five to get the best out of each team during the tournament's latter stages. The top two teams from the group stage will receive an automatic bye to the upper bracket semifinals where they await the winners from the quarter-finals. Speaking of which, the teams that finish third and sixth will face off in the upper bracket quarter-finals alongside the teams that finished fourth and fifth as well.
As only the top three teams will qualify for Worlds 2024, this also means that whoever makes it to the grand finals will already be heading to the world championship alongside the team that lost the lower bracket finals. However, the seedings for Worlds have yet to be finalised so it remains to be seen where in the tournament the second and third-seeded teams will be placed.
LCS Summer Split - Prize Pool
Unlike its other regions, the LCS has not had a Regional Finals since 2019 so there will be no points to be earned based on placement. Instead, it will be the same prize pool as the LCS Spring Split at $200,000 USD. This will be split amongst the top-four teams in the tournament while the other four will walk away with nothing. Here is a breakdown of how the prize pool is split:
Placement | USD $ | Qualifies to… |
1st | $100,000 | Worlds 2024 |
2nd | $50,000 | Worlds 2024 |
3rd | $30,000 | Worlds 2024 |
4th | $20,000 | - |
5th-6th | - | - |
7th | - | - |
8th | - | - |
LCS Summer Split - Teams
As they won the LCS Spring Split, Team Liquid will head into the Summer Split as one of the favourites. The five-time LCS champions had a decent showing at the Mid-Season Invitational a few months ago after they eliminated Fnatic. Of course, they didn't go that far as they were stopped by T1, which Liquid managed to win one map off them. With a stacked roster that features plenty of experience and talent, Liquid does have a chance of bringing some joy to LCS fans come September.
FlyQuest was the other team from the LCS that also went to MSI but could only get as far as the Play-In Stage after they lost back-to-back games against both T1 and PSG Talon. FQ will be looking to make another great run to qualify for only its second-ever Worlds event and its third international tournament overall after its debut at MSI. As for the third team to take the Worlds 2024 slot, it could be a toss-up between the likes of Cloud9, NRG, and 100 Thieves.
LCS Summer Split - Where to Watch
The LCS Summer Split group stage will be shown live on both its official Twitch and YouTube channels twice a week for seven straight weeks. The dates have yet to be confirmed for the playoffs, which is expected to take place directly after the conclusion of the group stage. Head over to the LoL Esports' Primer regarding the LCS Summer Split here.