Source: KeSPA

The Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) announced that the preseason for the '2026 School League,' the first institutionalized school-based esports league, will begin on the 14th. The 'School League' is a new annual inter-school competition that utilizes existing esports infrastructure within schools. It is specifically designed to allow aspiring professional players to receive professional training while maintaining their regular education, and all participating teams are official school representative teams approved by their respective principals.

The '2026 School League' preseason features three titles: 'League of Legends,' 'VALORANT,' and 'PUBG: Battlegrounds.' The first-semester preseason will be held every Thursday starting the 14th, with a break scheduled from the second to the fourth week of June for final exams. The playoffs will take place over two days from July 4 to 5, with a total prize pool of ₩7.5 million. This season, 14 schools nationwide, including Mirae Industry Science High School, Eunpyeong Meditech High School, and Tongjin High School, will compete.

The operational structure for each title is systematic. The top two teams in 'League of Legends' will earn the right to promote to the 'LCK Academy Series (LCK AS),' providing them an opportunity to compete against professional third-tier teams. The 'VALORANT' tournament will follow a two-group round-robin format to provide amateur players with regular competitive experience, while 'PUBG: Battlegrounds' will adopt a point-accumulation system similar to professional leagues to determine final rankings. Additionally, the league is linked to the 'School Esports Club Instructor Support Program,' where professional coaches selected by the association are matched with participating schools to provide technical and character education.

The league is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, organized by the Korea e-Sports Association, and sponsored by Riot Games, Supercell, Krafton, and Samsung. All matches will be broadcast live on the official middle and high school esports YouTube channel. The second-semester regular league is scheduled to launch in July following an opening ceremony.