EMEA Masters returns in 2024 with exciting competitive updates, so mark your calendars!
The changes we’re making to the overall format of EMEA Masters aren’t just to shake the competitive scene up, they’re designed to usher in more competitiveness and bring more excitement to fans and players alike!
In 2023, we introduced two new EMEA Regional Leagues (ERLs) to the ecosystem, to better represent the EMEA region. We’ve seen some amazing players use our ERL and EMEA Masters infrastructure to move up to the LEC, with a few even making it to the recent 2024 LEC Winter Split Finals! This year, we’re looking to ensure that every team and player fighting for the spotlight has an opportunity to shine. We also brought the EMEA Masters Summer Finals to the main stage during our 2023 LEC Season Finals roadshow, and we’re happy to reveal that this year, our two EMEA Masters finalists will compete at the 2024 LEC Season Finals in Munich!
**Spring Split**
Looking towards the Spring Split for 2024, it will be held in a very similar competitive format. Unfortunately, we only have a two-week window in the competitive calendar for the EMEA Masters Spring Split due to overall calendar restrictions, which isn’t suitable to properly accommodate the tournament as we did in 2023. To remedy this, the number of parallel matches will be increased, but the overall amount of matches has remained the same.
For 2024, we’ll continue with the three-stage approach, which sees 28 teams competing over two weeks - starting on April 15 and concluding on April 28. As a friendly reminder, here’s the format for the Spring Split:
**- Play-in:** 16 teams, split into four groups of four. Best-of-one, double round-robin format. The top two teams in each group progress to Knock-outs.
**- Play-in (Knock-outs):** 8 teams will compete in a best-of-three series. The top four teams progress to the Group Stage.
**- Group Stage:** 16 teams, split into four groups of four. Best-of-one, double round-robin format. The top two teams from each group progress to the Playoffs.
**- Playoffs:** 8 teams will compete in a best-of-five, single elimination bracket.
**Summer Split**
We have, however, made changes to the 2024 EMEA Masters Summer Split. Firstly, it will now be held in three stages: Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ), Group Stage and Playoffs. You’ll also see a total of 37 different teams compete throughout the tournament - so you better strap in for the ride!
**Last Chance Qualifiers**
The LCQ will be the stage for 24 teams to compete for a ticket to the Group Stage - with one to three teams competing per region. We’ll be sharing more information on the format of our opening stage for the 2024 EMEA Masters Summer Split in the coming months so stay tuned!
**Group Stage**
The Group Stage will consist of 16 teams, with 13 of the teams having automatically qualified - being the winners of each respective ERL Summer Final. The remaining three teams will qualify through our LCQ. Four groups of four teams will fight for victory in a best-of-three, GSL format. The teams will be assigned to their respective groups through a draw show. For a quick-fire explanation of GSL, if you win twice, you move on to the next stage - so the pressure is on! Teams will have a total of three chances to rise from their group. The top two teams from each of the four groups will then advance to the Playoffs.
**Playoffs**
Playoffs will see the best eight teams of the tournament fighting tooth and nail for the crown. The format will be a double-elimination bracket, with the first seeds from the Group Stage being placed in the upper bracket, and the second seeds progressing to the lower bracket. All matches will be best-of-threes apart from our Lower Bracket Finals and Grand Finals, which are both best-of-five - allowing teams to grapple with each other for the trophy!
Just like the 2023 EMEA Masters, this year’s Summer Finals will be taking place on the big stage, during the 2024 LEC Roadshow. The two finalists will compete in front of the crowd for the championship title. We’ll be announcing more information on the finals weekend later this year so make sure to stay tuned!
We can’t wait to see the teams compete, and are hyped for the action to kick off soon! The EMEA Masters Spring Split will commence on April 15, 2024, so be sure to follow us on [X (formerly Twitter)][1] and [Twitch][2] to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the action!
[1]: https://twitter.com/emeamasters
[2]: https://www.twitch.tv/emeamasters
