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The LEC will have a new identity, a new format, and will go from two splits to three. The rest of the European League will also restructure.
LEC and EMEA League of Legends
Good Ol' LEC
“Over the past decade, our team has worked tirelessly to create an industry-leading esports ecosystem. Today, we’re excited to reveal our plan for the next decade of LoL Esports in EMEA and the changes we’re bringing to the LEC and wider ecosystem to continue offering a best-in-class experience to our players”, said Maximilian Peter Schmidt, Director, League of Legends Esports, EMEA. “We’re focused on offering our players the best competition possible. These changes will further enhance the opportunities for professional and aspiring LoL players in the region, giving them more avenues to reach the elite level of competition in EMEA.”
The LEC, which has been known as the League of Legends European Championship since its inception, will now rename to League of Legends EMEA Championships while keeping the old acronym. The competition will receive format changes, an overhaul on its seasons, and the all-new LEC Season Finals.
The League of Legends EMEA Championships will span three splits: Winter, Spring, and Summer. The Winter Split and Spring Split will both occur prior to that year's MSI, while the Summer Split and LEC Season Finals will take place after MSI and before the League of Legends World Championship.
Each of the three splits will be kicked off by a single best-of-one round-robin. The top eight teams from this stage will move on to the best-of-three double-elimination group stage. The split will conclude with a four-team double-elimination best-of-five playoff stage.
The LEC season culminates in the LEC Season Finals, which will have the best six teams throughout the year battle for spots at Worlds. Each split's winner qualifies automatically. The LEC Season Finals will feature a roadshow event on its final weekend.
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EU League Merge
“Over the last decade, our EMEA region has been in a constant state of evolution, from the transformation of the EU LCS to the LEC, and the establishment of the most robust developmental ecosystem across the sport to today, as we expand the footprint of the region,” said Naz Aletaha, Global Head of League of Legends Esports. “As we plan for the future of LoL Esports, we’re dedicated to building on top of the foundation we laid in our first decade, growing the overall competitive landscape to a meaningful, multi-tiered ecosystem and maintaining the upward trajectory for many years to come.”
The European League will merge with Türkiye, CIS and MENA (Middle East and Africa), and will henceforth be referred to as the EMEA region. This is described as “a single and united competitive region for LoL Esports creating a multi-tiered esports ecosystem that sets the bar for excellence in competition and entertainment.”
Thus, the TCL (Türkiye Championship League) and AL (Arabian League, previously Intel Arabian Cup) will both join the ERL, who has also renamed to EMEA Regional League while keeping its acronym.
Correspondingly, the EU Masters will become the EMEA Masters, or EM, and is a “pan-regional competition” by giving more teams the opportunity to participate and showcase their talent.
On the more technical side, all players in Europe, Türkiye, CIS, and MENA with residency status can now compete freely in the LEC without being subject to the “import rule.”
The LCL, on the other hand, remains suspended until further notice. Riot Games will monitor the landscape and “assess the possibility of including the league in the expanded ERL ecosystem at a later date.”
The full schedule for events in the EMEA region can be found on this site.
