2025 NACL Split 2 Primer

TL;DR:

• Meet the Teams

• Split 2 Overview

• LTA North Promotion Tournament

• How Can I Compete? (Open Qualifier Info)

• Where to Watch

Welcome to the final Split of the NACL 2025 season—the official path to pro for North American League of Legends. This is where we will see the final battle of 2025: from powerhouse orgs stacked with former LTA stars to hungry amateur teams bursting with rookie talent, the stakes have never been higher. All eyes are on Disguised as they fight to defend their coveted LTA North Guest Slot in the upcoming LTA Promotion Tournament. Will they hold the line, or will a new challenger rise? Stay tuned to find out! 

Meet the Teams

We’re excited to welcome three newcomers from the Split 1 Open Qualifiers to the NACL - Citadel Gaming, Dorado Gaming, and Jolly Rogers! They’ll be joining the previous teams from NACL Split 1.

NACL Split 2 Overview

The NACL Split 2 begins on Thursday, July 17! We’ve shortened the regular season to a Single Round Robin Bo1 to make room for a massive eight-team Double Elimination Playoffs bracket featuring a mix of Bo3s and Bo5s using Full Fearless. The regular season is meant to act more like seeding for the Playoffs bracket rather than a traditional regular season from prior years. That said, the regular season stakes are still high for the bottom two NACL teams as they must defend their spot in the 2026 NACL season against the up-and-coming Open Qualifier (OQ) teams in the NACL Promotion Tournament. This means that we’ll also run the last OQ tournament of the year during the NACL Split 2 season.

LTA North Promotion Tournament

Only the top two NACL teams will move on to compete against the best Tier-2 Latin American North teams and the defending LTA North Guest Team - Disguised. All five teams will face off in a seven-day Double Elimination bracket featuring Full Fearless Bo5s.

The winner of the LTA North Promotion Tournament is awarded the coveted LTA North Guest Slot to compete in Tier 1 throughout the 2026 competitive season. This includes the ability to qualify for all Tier 1 global events including First Stand, MSI, and Worlds. The Guest Slot also includes financial support to establish a competitive operation as they compete in the LTA with the same business model as the Tier-1 teams. This includes a stipend intended to help cover operating costs and access to the Global Revenue Pool, meaning they will receive revenue coming from the global sales of esports-related LoL Esports in-game content.

While the full details will be announced closer to the tournament, it’ll be the final event of the year for North America LoL Esports following the LTA Championship in September.

How Can I Compete? (Open Qualifier Info)

The core pillar of Tier-2 competition is empowering players and orgs to forge their own path toward going pro, and that’s why we’re excited to welcome back the NACL Open Qualifier. As always, it’s open to everyone (yes, even you and your fearless squad of silver warriors). The 64-team, double elimination bracket will run across three weekends and feature Full Fearless Best-of-3s, just like in Split 1. The top four teams will earn a shot at the big leagues by facing off against the bottom two NACL teams in the NACL Promotion Tournament, with a spot in the 2026 season on the line. Sign-up info and more details are coming later, so keep an eye on our socials!

As an additional note, we’d also like to share an update regarding our organizational entity requirements for OQ teams upon qualifying into the NACL. Starting in Split 2, we’ve updated our entity requirements to allow more flexibility for Free Agent teams. This means that an ownership entity will no longer be required for teams who qualify into the NACL. If a Free Agent team wins the LTA North Promotion Tournament, they must submit a sponsor organization to operate the LTA North Guest Slot in order to meet the necessary legal requirements and ensure a smooth transition into the LTA. The full team policy, including detailed requirements and deadlines, will be shared with teams upon qualification into the NACL. With this change, we aim to allow for more player agency as well as ensure our ecosystem remains accessible for aspiring players.

Where to Watch

Catch all the NACL action live on Twitch.tv/NACL and YouTube.com/@NACL. Stay updated with the latest NACL news and match highlights by following X.com/watchNACL. The road to the LTA Promotion Tournament begins Thursday, July 17 - don’t miss it!