© 2025 Riot Games. All Rights Reserved.
© 2025 Riot Games. All Rights Reserved.
TL;DR:
Winter will be replaced by the new LEC Versus, a new format featuring the 10 LEC Teams and the two top-performing ERLs teams.
LEC Versus invites will go to the 2025 EMEA Masters Summer Champions and the most consistent, top-performing team across the year.
LEC Versus Champions will qualify for First Stand.
The Spring and Summer Splits will feature the same format: Single Round Robin of best-of-threes and best-of-five Playoffs.
The two Spring Split LEC finalists will qualify for MSI. Top three Summer Split Teams will qualify for Worlds.
LEC Roadtrips are back in 2026, with more cities, more fans, and even more excitement!
The next year of LEC action is going to be spectacular.
The LEC is evolving for 2026, bringing even more of what makes our league special. Expect fan-favourite formats, high-impact competition, and new storylines filled with energy, passion, and moments that will have you glued to the edge of your seat.
Kicking things off, we’re shaking up the start of the season with a brand-new tournament, featuring our 10 LEC teams alongside two special guest squads from across the EMEA ecosystem. It’s the perfect way to start the competitive season and get hyped for what’s ahead.
We’re always looking for ways to keep our ecosystem dynamic and exciting, continuing to celebrate what fans love about the LEC, while creating new paths for competition and stories to thrive across our entire ecosystem.
We’re delighted to introduce LEC Versus, an all-new tournament, which will ignite EMEA’s regional rivalries, deliver high-stakes action, and showcase all new matchups from the start.
Replacing the former Winter Split, 12 teams will face off in a Single Round Robin, Best-of-One stage, where every team meets each other. The top eight will move on to Playoffs, a double-elimination bracket with Rounds 1 and 2 played as Best-of-Threes, and all remaining matches as Best-of-Fives. This format is designed for intensity and endurance where every game counts, with the champions earning the sole EMEA qualification spot for First Stand.
Our 10 LEC partner teams will enter LEC Versus to put their 2026 rosters to the test. To round out the competition, they will be joined by two ERL teams: the EMEA Masters Summer Champions, and one invited team selected based on consistent, standout performance across the 2025 EMEA Masters season
These aren’t LEC spots, but special invitations earned through competitive excellence within the ERL ecosystem. It’s an opportunity for the best ERL teams to prove themselves on a bigger stage, testing their limits against EMEA’s best.
We’re thrilled to announce that one of those teams will be Los Ratones. After an incredible season, back-to-back EMEA Masters titles, three consecutive NLC championships, and a Top 4 finish in the Summer Split, they’ve proven themselves as one of the most dominant forces in the ERLs in 2025 and the most consistent team across the season. Now, we'd like to invite them to bring their energy and hype to Berlin.
Our regional ERL talent and LEC pros will collide exclusively in the LEC Versus in a format which celebrates the strength of our region and gives our fans all-new rivalries to sink their teeth into.
The team which survives the high-pressure best-of-ones and comes out on top during the intense Playoffs will be crowned the LEC Versus Champion and lift the new trophy designed just for this invitational. The winner will represent EMEA on the international stage against the champions from every major region participating in First Stand.
In 2026, Spring and Summer will showcase our ten LEC partner teams, home to some of the most successful and recognized organizations in esports, bringing the highest level of competition, the biggest storylines, and everything on the line with MSI and Worlds qualification up for grabs.
We’ve heard the feedback from our passionate community and are making some key tweaks to the Summer Split format for 2026. Next year, both Spring and Summer Splits will replicate the same format as Spring 2025.
That is, a Single Round Robin of best-of-threes leading into best-of-five Playoffs. No best-of-ones or best-of-twos. Instead, expect multi-game formats that provide guaranteed matches for all ten LEC teams. The celebrated format our fans loved in the 2025 season will help prepare teams for the international stage.
Delivering a consistent format and predictable schedule for both the Spring and Summer Splits will enable more LEC Roadtrips and bring fans more competition.
Last but not least, we were thrilled to see how much you enjoyed the LEC Roadtrips this year. So, of course, next year we’re going to bring Roadtrips back in an extended way and expand on the incredible events that Movistar KOI and Karmine Corp hosted. More news on those coming soon!
Until then, thank you again for all the passion and feedback you give us every year. With your help, the LEC is going from strength to strength, and we hope next year will be our best season yet!
Two ERL teams will be invited to compete at the 2026 LEC Versus. This will include the 2025 EMEA Masters Summer Champions and an invited team selected based on their consistent, standout performance across the 2025 competitive season season (Los Ratones for 2026).
The 12 teams in the LEC Versus will face off in a Single Round Robin, Best-of-One stage, where every team will compete against one another. The top eight will move on to Playoffs, a double-elimination bracket with Rounds 1 and 2 played as Best-of-Threes, and all remaining matches as Best-of-Fives.
For both Spring and Summer, the 10 LEC teams will compete in a Single Round Robin of best-of-threes before the top six teams compete in best-of-fives in the Playoffs.
The winner of LEC Versus will attend First Stand.
The Spring Champions and runners-up will qualify for MSI.
The Summer Champions, runners-up, and third place team will qualify for Worlds.
No, the two invited ERL teams will only compete in LEC Versus. They will then compete in EMEA Regional Leagues and EMEA Masters for the remainder of the year.
The LEC Secondary Team will be eligible to compete in LEC Versus. Measures will be put into place to ensure that competition integrity is preserved.
The general rule is 3 out of 5 players from the original EM roster should remain going into the tournament - with possible exceptions based on the League's discretion.
No, the ERL teams are only being invited to the LEC Versus and will not have the same rights as an LEC team. While LEC teams are part of the revenue share model of the LEC, ERL teams will instead only receive a stipend for their participation.
All LEC Versus matches will take place at Riot Games Arena in Berlin, Germany.
Details about LEC Versus ticketing will be shared at a later date this year. Keep an eye on LoLEsports.com and official LEC social media channels for updates. Once available, tickets will be sold through emeatickets.lolesports.com.
