SOOP said on the 25th that it will host the esports content "2026 LoL Destruction Match Season 1," which will run in League of Legends starting on the 25th.
"Destruction Match" is an original esports program that any streamer broadcasting on SOOP can join. About 10,000 streamers have taken part over 10 years, and cumulative viewers have surpassed 400 million.
This season, retired pro gamers such as Peanut, Kim Gun, and Smeb will form teams with streamers. The sixth man rule, manager and coach system, and finals analysis desk from the previous season remain, while new elements such as a revamped scoreboard and category broadcast time advantage have been introduced.
The tournament runs for about three weeks, starting with applications on Feb. 25 and ending with the finals on Mar. 14. Teams of five streamers with varying skill levels will compete, and a total of eight teams will advance to the main stage: the top four teams by user vote and the top four by qualifying results. The main stage will use a double-elimination format, and the finals will be held offline at the Sangam-dong DN Colosseum, which seats 600.
The previous event, 2025 Destruction Match Season 2, recorded 23 million cumulative views, and the finals drew 360,000 concurrent viewers. The last tournament featured 40 teams and more than 200 streamers.
In this season, the League of Legends record search service DEEPLOL will join as a sponsor and provide game-by-game data and analysis.
SOOP said it plans to continue expanding a participatory esports culture created jointly by streamers and users through Destruction Match.