The LPL has confirmed the schedule for the final stretch of Split 3, and two of the four stages already have a venue attached. The announcement lands as the regular season enters its last week of play, which ends on August 23.

Knights Rivals, the play-in stage, opens the postseason from August 28 to 30. It will be hosted in Beijing at the JD Esports Center, the home arena of JD Gaming.

The playoff bracket then moves to Shanghai. Games run from September 3 to 8 at the IG-Huya Competition Center, where Invictus Gaming play their home fixtures.

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Photo Credit: LPL

Finals weekend is set for September 12 and 13, with the losers’ final on the Saturday and the grand final on the Sunday. No venue has been announced yet for those two days.

The Regional Finals close the season from September 17 to 19. That venue is also still unconfirmed, but the three days are already pencilled in for a 17:00 local start.

What is at stake

Only the top six of Group Ascend go straight into the playoff bracket. The bottom two of that group and the top two of Group Nirvana meet in Knights Rivals, where they will fight over the last two spots in the eight-team double-elimination bracket.

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Photo Credit: LPL

Bilibili Gaming have already secured their ticket to Worlds 2026. They hold the most championship points in the region, which locks them in as the LPL’s second seed at worst.

The Split 3 champion travels to Worlds as China’s first seed. Seeds three and four are then settled at the Regional Finals, which is why the September 17 to 19 window matters just as much as the trophy itself.