LCK Academy Series Kicks Off September 12 with School League Teams
The LCK Academy Series (LCK AS) kicks off on September 12 with a new format featuring top-tier School League teams joining the official third-division circuit.
Previously, the league was dominated by academy squads from major LCK organizations like Dplus KIA and Hanwha Life. Starting this second half of the season, the competition expands to include two elite high school rosters: Eunpyeong Meditech High School Gaming, who secured their spot as 2026 School League preseason champions, and Korea Game Science High School Gaming & Tech.
While Korea Game Science will remain in the School League due to operational considerations, Eunpyeong Meditech has officially confirmed their LCK AS entry. The expanded field now consists of ten teams: Dplus KIA Youth, DN Supers Academy, Gen.G Global Academy, Hanwha Life e-Sports, KT Rolster Academy, Hanjin Brio Academy, Nongshim e-Sports Academy, T1 e-Sports Academy Rookies, Kiwoom DiAlX, and the new high school entrants.
The tournament structure includes a regular season running from September 12 to October 25, followed by playoffs from October 31 to November 8. Matches are played online, with playoff games broadcast live on weekends. The winner will receive a trophy and a prize pool of 2.5 million won, while second and third place teams earn 1.5 million and 1 million won respectively.
This expansion aims to provide structured competitive experience for promising talents, bridging the gap between high school gaming and professional LCK aspirations.
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