Eight years ago, 100 Thieves joined the LCS ahead of the 2018 season. The Thieves went on to compete at a high level domestically in North America for years, winning a championship in 2021, and making countless finals and international events. Now, the heist appears to be finished: 100 Thieves and Riot Games have officially announced the team’s impending departure. After the 2025 season concludes, 100T will leave the LTA North, and a new partner team will join in their stead for 2026.

The team’s intentions to leave seemed apparent after they announced last year that they’d be competing in the LTAN 2025 only as a “provisional guest team.” And even though they’ve made recent additions to the team, having just hired Niship “Dhokla” Doshi as a coach for this split, he and the rest of the team will have to find a new home going into 2026.

A top-level start

The team’s 2018 entry into the league marked their first appearance in the finals, immediately establishing themselves as a top contender. They qualified for Worlds that year as well, and after another two years went by, they hit their stride in 2021, winning an LCS title and attending Worlds once more. In 2022, they made it to each finals, but couldn’t place higher than second, and again they placed second in Split 1 of this year, the first under the LTA North rebrand. Through these years and years, the careers of players like Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho, Can “Closer” Çelik, and Victor “FBI” Huang have been defined in their time on the team.

Newer players, too, have had their careers fostered on 100 Thieves. One early sign of their departure was in the 2023 disbanding of 100 Thieves Challengers. For years, 100 Thieves led the league in Tier 2 involvement, whereas 100 Thieves Academy, countless LoL prospects were developed. That includes players like Alan “Busio” Cwalina, now one of the best players in the west, and Toplaner Rayan “Sniper” Shoura, who’s still starting for the 100 Thieves main roster today. They even had a long-running Tier 3 amateur team, 100 Thieves Next, which the team retired a few months prior. Disbanding their development pathways and downgrading to “provisional guest” meant the writing was on the wall for 100 Thieves fans.

100 Thieves superfan and avid social media poster David Szajnuk posted his feelings online, which reflected those of many fans of the Thieves. Though the news was perhaps predictable, it remains sad and surprising to many. Szajnuk also commented on the 100 Thieves LoL Q&A, stating that according to it, the Thieves “didn’t even get a chance to plead their case to Riot,” and were “told that someone else had already been given the slot,” without being able to work to keep the spot.

In their social media statement, 100 Thieves said they’d be giving fans a “proper send off” and thanked all the current members of their league team. Fans of the league will have the new 2026 LTAN partner team to look forward to, but without the Thieves, perhaps less impressive hoodies, heist-related jokes, and unique 100T LoL team dynamics and gameplay in their lives.