League of Legends LCP is finding its identity from the streets of Da Nang all the way to Worlds

Street food, cosplay, and fandom energy turned Da Nang into a living showcase of the LCP’s diversity.

The League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) Finals weekend wasn’t just about the matches inside the arena; it spilled out into the streets, food stalls, and conversations between fans. Wearing an Arcane shirt, I was on my way home from the first day when hunger got the best of me. Wandering the streets near the arena, I found a bánh mì shop called Abon Cake.

As I waited for my order, the woman in front of me turned and asked, “Oh! Did you come from watching the LCP Finals?” When I told her yes, she beamed. 

“I’m going there tomorrow! I will cosplay as Akali.” An An, as she called herself, proudly showed me photos on her phone of past cosplays, including her True Damage Akali outfit. We had to cut our conversation short, but I did see her the next day.

It turned out she was one of the finalists in the cosplay contest that took place before the Grand Finals. She didn’t win, but she told me, “I like it here. The atmosphere is great and the games players bring are exciting.” 

She also mentioned that most of the cosplayers in the contest were her friends, and that the LCP Finals gave them a venue to celebrate both their fandom and the esports matches together.

Another story of LoL's impact on Vietnam came from two fans who had travelled from Saigon and Hanoi just to watch the LCP Finals. They asked me to join their group for the Doombots activity and said they were longtime fans of the game. “Being able to participate in something exciting and big in their hometown is something we wouldn't miss,” they told me.

Even fans who couldn't make it live couldn't stop talking about League of Legends and the LCP beyond the arena. One such fan was a young man who was at the Son Tra Night Market. When he saw my tote bag, he started talking about Team Secret Whales and how he was a fan of Anh Tài “taki” Đinh,  whose hometown was Da Nang. And although Team Secret Whales lost to CTBC Flying Oyster in the Grand Finals, he said, “I will cheer for Team Secret Whales at Worlds! I can't wait.”

That sense of community and energy reflects the LCP itself, something that Piotr Pilich, Head of Product Esports for the LCP, wanted to bring more attention to. GosuGamers had the opportunity to catch up with him once again at the LCP finals, where he shared his thoughts on the LCP’s first year, the challenges the league faced, and what comes next.

Finding footing in the first year

Piotr reflected on the LCP's inaugural season as a process of learning and improvement. “We’ve had a bit of a rough start,” he admitted, “Overcoming that was no small feat for our team. I’m really proud of our team coming together to bring LCP to the fans in Taipei, and now here [in Da Nang]. Any event of such scale is already challenging. Doing it in another country that we've been working in for the whole season… every location has its own.”

He highlighted the operational strides made: “We’ve reduced our pauses and delays in terms of split operations by something close to 90%. So, it’s from, let's say, one to split three, which is huge. That’s why the show is smoother. There’s no “#LCPause” anymore.”

Despite the challenges of relocating events, working with local languages, and adapting to new environments, Piotr credited the teams for maintaining high performance: “Living in a place that has a different language and adapting to that, and at the same time, training to perform at a high level… that’s huge. All credit to our teams for that.”

Da Nang: Fans bring the energy

Hosting the Finals in Da Nang brought its own flavour to the event. “Of factors, and already we knew that fans in Vietnam get crazy in the best possible way, when it comes to exposing such a long legacy in the sport,” Piotr said. He was particularly impressed with Team Secret Whales, the youngest team in the league, whose three players are from Da Nang.

“Those families being here, and seeing how well they performed, that’s a unique flavour for the fandom. The Vietnamese fans are generally very energetic,” he added.

For Piotr, these moments underscored the LCP’s commitment to bringing fans closer to the league: “We want to have more touch points with the fans, kind of in person, not just for us, but for the teams and players to be able to experience what fans in Taipei are experiencing.”

What’s next for the LCP?

When asked about what’s next for the LCP, Piotr sighed and laughed. “More work!” Of course, this means there’s more to come for the league.

After LCP’s first year, Piotr explained how new countries and leagues are joining.We've added Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and South Asia to our ecosystem via the Wild Card slot.

On Oceania, our focus this year was to ensure, together with our partner, Arcanist, they can participate in the LCP Promotion Series. So, a lot of different competitions, a lot of different partners, slightly different ways of kind of setting all of that up. Each league comes in through the wildcard system, bringing a “breath of fresh air to the culture and hopefully also to the competition,” Piotr said. 

He emphasised the balance of opportunity and competition “From the start, we had a sort of balance of teams… giving all those other leagues access to the LCP, as well as any support we can, to make them work and survive and sustain.”

Local creators, VTubers, and meme culture were also integral to this ecosystem’s first year and beyond. Piotr highlighted their role in engagement: “Hopefully fans take the culture of LCP and their local music into their own hands. That’s really the best outcome.”

On top of that preparations for the next season and promotional relegation remain top priority. “The most immediate thing for LCP is promotional relegation… The teams need to come in, challenge the big boys already there. That’s an important part. And then, obviously, preparations for 2026.”

Looking toward Worlds

Beyond the regional scene, LCP’s sights are firmly set on the global stage. “Of course, winning would be my favourite kind of success. Beyond wins… doing well competitively is huge. But just getting there is already a huge effort,” Piotr said.

He pointed to the global attention LCP teams are already receiving.

“Everyone kind of is familiar now with TK (Anthony "TK Nguyen" Nguyễn, CEO of GAM Esports) and his antics at global events. Everyone’s talking about Tsai “hongQ” Ming-hong playing against Sang-hyeok “Faker” Lee and GAM Esports playing against G2 Esports… That helps raise their prestige, which translates to better business opportunities, more fans, and ultimately more sustainability.”

Piotr also shared his hopes for the perception of the LCP. Paraphrasing a quote from CFO from before, the one perception he hoped people would take away is that the LCP “is not a minor region.”

“Our LCP teams will show the rest of the world that they’re not underdogs. They’re the teams you have to prepare for or pay the price at international events.”