The 2026 LCK Academy Series (hereafter LCK AS) Second-Half Academy League will begin its playoffs for the top six teams on October 31. The champion, to be decided on November 8, will receive a trophy and 2.5 million won in prize money.
The playoffs will be held online every weekend, with all matches played in a best-of-five format under a semi-double elimination system. The runner-up will receive 1.5 million won, while the third- and fourth-place teams will each receive 1 million won.
The opening match will feature DN Supers Academy against Hanjin BRION Academy on October 31 at 2:00 PM. On the same day at 5:00 PM, KT Rolster Academy will face Hanwha Life Esports. On November 1, the full league's top two teams, T1 Esports Academy Rookies and Dplus KIA, will face the winners of Round 1, respectively.
After completing Rounds 1 and 2 across October 31 and November 1, Round 3 upper bracket and lower bracket matches will take place on November 7. The final qualifier and the grand finals will be held on November 8.
A total of 10 teams competed in this second-half full league, including nine LCK academy teams and Eunpyeong Meditech High School Gaming, who advanced through the School League. In the full league that concluded on October 25, T1 Esports Academy Rookies finished first for the fourth consecutive time, following both halves of last year and the first half of this year.
Dplus KIA Youth took second place, followed by DN Supers Academy, KT Rolster Academy, and Hanwha Life Esports in third through fifth places, respectively. Hanjin BRION Academy edged out Nongshim Esports Academy to finish sixth, securing the final playoff spot.
Casters Lee Seong-hoon and Lee Jun-seong, along with commentator "Kuro" Lee Seo-haeng, will host the broadcast. Matches can be watched starting at 2:00 PM on each matchday on the official LCK Challengers League SOOP and CHZZK channels, with tournament information available on the official LCK AS Instagram.
The LCK AS Academy League is a regular Tier-3 tournament designed for the growth of next-generation players. LCK AS is an official league under the LCK umbrella featuring LCK academy teams and top School League teams, hosted by Riot Games. It is co-organized by Riot Games and the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA), with Woori Bank serving as sponsor.
