2025 EMEA Masters Format Explainer

TL;DR

• EMEA Masters will feature 3 events in 2025 (Winter, Spring, Summer)

• Winter will feature Fearless Draft

• Winter and Spring will both feature a GSL Group Stage

• The events will evolve and grow in size as the season progresses

• Regional protection in early rounds guarantees cross-regional match-ups

EMEA Masters (EM) is back for another exhilarating season of regional rivalry and high-level League of Legends action. With an influx of content creators and veterans joining our EMEA Regional Leagues (ERLs), 2025 is shaping up to be an immense year of entertainment!

To align with the three ranked in-game seasons and the LEC’s three split model, our Tier 2 ecosystem will also move to a three-split format in 2025, meaning we’ll host three EM tournaments this year. Each EM event will increase in size as the season progresses, with Summer being the biggest to end the season with a bang.

Here is a complete breakdown of the formats and seeding for all three EM tournaments in 2025.

EMEA Masters Winter Format

The first major event will be EM Winter, which will see an exclusive list of the region’s 16 strongest teams invited to compete. Each ERL’s Winter champion, as well as three additional second seeds, will take part in what is set to be an extremely competitive tournament. 

And, to add to the spiciness, Fearless Draft will feature throughout the whole event, with the same version as Tier 1 competitions featuring in the tournament. You can find out more about Fearless here, but the TL;DR is that it means no champion can be played more than once in a series.

The first stage of the event will see teams compete in a GSL Group Stage, with four groups of four teams battling against teams with equal records in best-of-threes. Teams that win two series will advance to the Playoffs, while a second loss for any squad will spell elimination. It’s also important to note that this stage will feature regional protection, to ensure that two teams from the same region can’t face each other in the early stages. 

Playoffs will then see the remaining eight teams compete in a single elimination bracket to decide the winner of the first event of the year. 

EMEA Masters Spring Format

EM Spring will feature the same format as Winter but with two key differences. Firstly, there will be no Fearless ruleset, so drafting will be consistent throughout. And secondly, the tournament will double in size, with 32 teams competing, giving more teams across the region the opportunity to prove themselves and fight for EM silverware.

The 32 teams will once again compete in regionally protected groups, facing off in best-of-threes, with the aim of winning two series in order to advance to the Playoffs.

EM Spring Playoffs will be double the size of Winter, as 16 teams compete in pure best-of-fives in a single elimination bracket. Lose a series and you’re eliminated.

EMEA Masters Summer Format

As an epic conclusion to the season, our Summer EM will be very similar to last year’s immense event, as 44 teams compete for the trophy. 

Summer will once again start with a Last Chance Qualifier, but competition will be even fiercer with just 16 teams competing in a region-protected Group Stage. In four groups of four, teams will compete in a best-of-three to reach the LCQ finals where the winners will face off in a best-of-five to decide four group winners who will then qualify for the next stage.

And that stage is the exciting Swiss Stage, which will see 32 teams compete in a remarkable gauntlet of matches and series against teams with equal records from outside of their own regions, all in a bid to claim four victories and reach the Playoffs.

For the third and final stage, region protection is removed and there will be no second chances. The top 16 teams will battle in best-of-fives through the single elimination bracket Playoffs, to ultimately crown Summer’s EMEA champions.

Regional Slot Distribution

Full details of how seeds will be distributed to each ERL for all three of this year’s tournaments can be found below, but to summarise:

• Winter will feature the top seeds from each league as well as the second seeds from the 3 most competitive leagues based on historical performances from the past two seasons

• Spring will see 6 leagues offered 3 slots (again based on historical performances from the past two seasons) while the remaining leagues will be given 2 slots

• Summer will open 3 slots per region except for the 5 best performing leagues, which will be given an additional 4th seed

• There will be 13 EMEA Regional Leagues competing for spots in this year’s regional events:

  • France - La Ligue Française (LFL)

  • Turkey - Turkish Championship League (TCL)

  • Germany, Austria, Switzerland - Prime League (PRM)

  • Spain - Superliga (SL)

  • Poland and Baltics - Rift Legends: Polish Championship (RL)

  • UK and Nordics - Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC)

  • Italy - League of Legends Italian Tournament (LIT)

  • Middle East and Northern Africa - Arabian League (AL)

  • Greece and Cyprus - Hellenic League of Legends Championship (HLL)

  • Portugal - Liga Portuguesa (LPLOL)

  • Czech Republic and Slovakia - Hitpoint Masters (HM)

  • Balkans - Esports Balkan League (EBL)

  • BeNeLux - Road of Legends (ROL)

This year of ERL action could be the most exciting yet, as our region’s best young talents will be tested against the influx of big-name veterans that have recently joined teams.

The mixture of talents means all three EMEA Masters will be must-watch competitions, and we’re beyond excited to watch it all unfold with you as legacies are renewed and new stars are born.

To keep up to date with all things EMEA Masters in 2025 keep your eyes on lolesports.com and Twitter/X @EMEAmasters then watch all the action unfold on twitch.tv/emeamasters when our Winter Masters kicks off March 17.

*Please note that this article has been updated since its initial publication to reflect the correct Slot Distribution for the Summer Split. The Esports Balkan League (EBL) and Road of Legends (ROL) will each have three teams participating in EM Summer. However, while one team from each league will qualify directly to the Swiss Stage, the remaining two will enter the LCQ Stage.