FunPlus Phoenix, the 2019 League of Legends World Champions, is officially leaving the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) on January 1, 2026.
After eight years in the league, FPX and the LPL reached a mutual agreement to end the team’s participation as part of the league’s slot repurchase program. Both sides say they’ll work together to take care of the players and finish the buyback process smoothly.
This move has been a long time coming. At the end of last year, the LPL started buying back team slots to help shrink the league and fix its overloaded schedule. Only two teams can leave per year, and Rare Atom was the first to go. FPX tried to apply for the programme back in 2024 but didn’t make the cut. This year, it was finally their turn.
FPX entered the league in late 2017 as a brand new squad. They were decent, but nothing special, until 2019 happened. With a revamped roster, FPX won the LPL Summer Split, then blasted through Worlds 2019 and swept G2 Esports 3-0 in the finals to give China its second world championship.
But the years after were rough. Star players left, controversies hit the organisation, and constant roster shuffles never fixed the team’s downward slide. By 2025, FPX was stuck in the lower half of the standings with no real playoff success and no sign of a comeback. Rumors about the team exiting the league picked up in November, especially with salary cuts across the scene and the original 10-year franchise deals coming to an end.
Now it’s officially confirmed that FPX is out of the League of Legends Pro League. The LPL hasn’t said what it plans to do with the freed-up slot, but the move fits its strategy of shrinking the league and easing the packed schedule.
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