Demacia Cup 2026: Opening Matchups, Oct. 3 Start Times

Organizers announced the opening matchups and regional start times for the League of Legends Demacia Cup 2026. Twelve teams from the LPL, LCK, LEC, LCS, CBLOL and LCP begin play on Oct. 3 in six cross-regional best-of-one matches. The draw kept teams from the same region apart.

The Oct. 3 fixtures pair RED Canids with Natus Vincere, LGD Gaming with FlyQuest, Shopify Rebellion with KT Rolster, Team Vitality with BNK FEARX, GAM Esports with Team WE, and HANJIN BRION with JD Gaming. All opening matches are best-of-one and will be played online as the tournament begins its Swiss-stage format.

Organizers published scheduled start times for audiences in the Americas, Europe and Asia. In the Americas the series begins between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. In the U.K. and central Europe matches run from about 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. British Summer Time and Central European Summer Time. In Asia start times span roughly 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Vietnam time (UTC+7). Individual games may begin a few minutes later than scheduled depending on the length of previous series.

The Demacia Cup 2026 opens with a 12-team online Swiss stage. The first round is best-of-one; subsequent Swiss rounds switch to best-of-three series using Fearless Draft. Eight teams will advance from the Swiss stage to a single-elimination playoff bracket.

Quarterfinals, semifinals and the final are best-of-five and will be played on LAN at the Beijing Smart Esports Center. The tournament runs from Oct. 3 through Oct. 17 and includes international clubs alongside traditional Chinese participants.

Match pacing shifts from single-game openers on Oct. 3 to longer multi-game series as teams compete for one of eight playoff spots.

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