The competitive League of Legends ecosystem is always shifting with the tides and adapting to the growth of the industry as it reaches new heights. For example, the European competitive scene has blossomed tremendously over the last few years, and now, the region will undergo a massive revamp with its formatting.
The LEC serves as the cream of the crop in Europe, hosting the 10 best teams in the region as they battle for supremacy. Next year, these stark competitors will clash in a new league format that will feature three splits with three champions over the course of the year.
These new playoff formats will also include the regular season, a group stage with the regular season’s top eight teams, and finally, the playoffs with the top four teams from groups.
Breaking down the new LEC format
In all three seasons, there will be three weeks of regular season action through a best-of-one, single round-robin. Afterward, the top eight teams will be sent to the group stage, where they will compete in a best-of-three, double-elimination bracket over two weeks.
Related: Riot details new path to Worlds for LEC teams in league’s overhauled format
Over those two weeks, four teams will rise from the chaos and dive right into the playoffs. The playoffs will take place over the course of one week, where the final four squads will play out a best-of-five, double-elimination format for the trophy. The three teams that win the seasonal championship instantly qualify for the Season Finals.
In the Season Finals, the remaining places and overall seeding is decided by Championship Points as those candidates meet the three LEC champions of the year. Those six teams will collide in a final four-week, best-of-five double-elimination bracket to decide the yearly LEC Champion.
