2021 LCK Summer Split to be played offline, with audience

May 31, 2021

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All LCK teams will return to in-person play when the 2021 LCK Summer Split kicks off on June 9.

Besides having the teams return to LoL Park to play in an offline environment, competition will be opened up for a live audience as well, per LCK reporter Ashley Kang. This means that the LCK as a whole is slowly returning to normal, starting with the opening match between Fredit BRION and Liiv SANDBOX.

> The opening match will be held on June 9th – @Brionesports vs @LiivSANDBOX
> Up to 40 fans will be allowed into the venue per match, per the government regulation that allows 10% of the venue’s live audience capacity pic.twitter.com/KTZKZyfETm

— Ashley Kang #LCK (@AshleyKang) May 31, 2021

Even though there will be a live audience, the LCK will start off with a very small number of fans. At the start of the split, up to 40 fans will be allowed into the venue per match. These numbers are according to the government regulations, which allow up to 10% of the venue’s live audience capacity. With LoL Park being a fairly small venue, only very few fans will have to attend for each match.

LCK returning to offline play has been highly anticipated, especially since the LCK was the only major league to not play the spring playoffs in-person. The LEC, LPL, and LCS all had offline finals, allowing players to compete in an optimal setting. This means that some LCK teams haven’t played in a LAN setting for over a year, except the LCK representatives at the 2020 World Championship and 2021 Mid-Season Invitational.

When the LCK split starts, it will be exciting to see which teams can adapt to playing on-stage. After playing comfortably from home for the past two splits, some of the younger squads might need time to adjust. More experienced teams such as DWG KIA, Gen.G, and T1 are all expected to return in great shape with a hunger to win on stage again. It will also likely be these teams that are looking to hang at the top of the standings.

The 2021 LCK Summer Split kicks off on Wednesday, June 9.

Who are the participating teams in LCK?

All 10 LCK teams from the spring split will return in summer. Some of the teams have made roster changes in the mid-season break, but nothing too significant.

These are the LCK teams: