The League of Legends Championship Series is returning to ESPN with playoff action airing on ESPN2 and the ESPN App.
The spring split playoffs will kick off with Wednesday's matchup between Team SoloMid and 100 Thieves at 4 p.m. ET on the ESPN App. The rest of the matches will air on ESPN2 with the following schedule:
Evil Geniuses vs. Cloud9: April 11, 4 p.m. ET
FlyQuest vs. winner of 100 Thieves/TSM: April 12, 4 p.m. ET
Third-place matchup: April 18, 4 p.m. ET
LCS spring split championship: April 19, time TBD
Each contest will be a best-of-five matchup. The winner of the split will go on to represent North America against teams from around the world at the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational in July.
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This is not the first time that the LCS will appear on ESPN platforms, as Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, and ESPN had previously partnered to bring the LCS and League of Legends World Championship to the ESPN App and ESPN+ in 2019. This new deal will mark the first time League of Legends will air on ESPN linear television.
"We're excited to work with Riot Games to create innovative content opportunities around this amazing franchise system," said John Lasker, vice president of digital programming at ESPN. "Showcasing one of the most popular esports in the world with the LCS' Spring Split playoffs allows ESPN to serve new audiences."
Cloud9 finished the LCS regular season with a dominant 17-1 record and are favorites to take the championship. Evil Geniuses crept into the second spot late in the season, capping off a stellar March. TSM have been hot and cold throughout the split but have the pedigree and experience to contend. 100 Thieves, led by brilliant top laner Kim "Ssumday" Chan-Ho, as well as FlyQuest, who occupied the No. 2 position in the standings for much of the spring split, round out the remaining teams.