North American esports organization Sentinels formally announced Friday that it has secured a spot in Riot Games’ North American League of Legends esports league League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).
The news confirms previous reporting from multiple outlets that Sentinels would take over the slot vacated by another North American esports organization, 100 Thieves, which announced its plans to exit at the end of the 2025 season.
Sentinels will begin its journey in the LCS when the new season starts in 2026. In its announcement the organization said that this “move strengthens Sentinels’ relationship with developers Riot Games, building on the club’s status as a VCT partner and its ongoing commitment to top-tier competition.”
“This is the next stage in Sentinels’ evolution,” said Rob Moore, CEO of Sentinels. “We started in 2018 with a focus on the newest games like Fortnite where Sentinels Bugha brought home the inaugural Fortnite World Cup in 2019, VALORANT where we have brought home two international trophies and most recently Marvel Rivals, where we qualified for the first international event but did not manage to bring home a trophy. Now entering the most popular and enduring game in the world, League of Legends, is the natural next step. We value our relationship with Riot, we respect the history of the LCS, and we are committed to bringing the same level of preparation, resources, and fan experience that our community expects from Sentinels.”
Sentinels added that this new endeavor is a multi-year investment in coaching, player development, and infrastructure designed to translate Sentinels’ approach in VALORANT into League of Legends. Further details about staffing, roster timelines, and community initiatives will be announced in the months ahead.
The Los Angeles-based organization currently fields competitive rosters in Valorant through the Valorant Champions Tour and Valorant Challengers (through Cubert Academy) in North America, Marvel Rivals, StarCraft 2, and Apex Legends. The organization is also home to Tarik Celik, a former Counter-Strike pro and one of the most popular personalities in Valorant.