In an effort to evolve and enhance the League of Legends (LoL) Esports experience, we are excited to unveil a series of changes for 2025. These updates aim to make the sport more thrilling and competitive for both fans and professional players:
- Introduction of a new, third international event.
- Implementation of the “Fearless Draft” game mode in Tier-1 play.
- A unified split schedule for all leagues.
- Proposed multi-region leagues in Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Americas.
- Experimentation with “Guest Team” slots and promotion-relegation.
- New league slots for international events.
These changes align with our new business model designed to ensure financial sustainability and maximize the value of LoL Esports for everyone involved.
New International Event & Fearless Draft Mode
We are thrilled to introduce a third international event, addressing the demand for more global competitions. While we are still finalizing the event’s name and branding, here are some key details:
Starting in the 2025 season, we will host a first split/global tournament across all regions. The initial round will feature regional play, with each of the five regions qualifying one team for the international round in March. Teams will then compete in a round-robin format, with the top four advancing to a final bracket. The winner will be crowned at the end of the six-day international round.
This new tournament will also feature the “Fearless Draft” mode in best-of-series matches. In this format, champions used in prior games of a series are effectively banned, ensuring varied matchups and showcasing a broader range of champions. This innovation aims to enhance the excitement and strategic depth of the matches.
Unified Split Structure
To complement the new international event, we will refine the regional split structure. Starting next season, all regions will begin with the new international tournament/first split. A second split will qualify teams for the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), which will now be held in early July. The third and final split will culminate in a Regional Championship, crowning a season-long champion in each region. This structure will create a cohesive and interconnected competitive calendar, raising the stakes for regular season matches and providing a thrilling build-up to Worlds, our premier annual event.
New Multi-Regional Leagues & Guest Team Slots
We are exploring the formation of multi-region leagues to enhance competitiveness and engagement. This will include the Americas league, combining the North American LCS and Brazil’s CBLOL into North and South conferences. Each conference will include six existing partnered teams, one team from the Latin American LLA, and one “Guest Team” slot for promotion and relegation, making eight teams per conference.
The Americas league will feature a three-split season structure:
- Split 1: Teams compete within their conferences, with top performers qualifying for cross-conference play and one team advancing to the new global tournament.
- Split 2: The top team from each conference secures a slot for MSI, totaling two Americas teams.
- Split 3: An Americas Regional Championship will determine three teams for Worlds, ensuring representation from both conferences.
We will also introduce a new multi-regional league in APAC, integrating teams from Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, Japan, Oceania, and Southeast Asia. This league will feature a hybrid partnership plus promotion/relegation model, fostering dynamic competition and diverse representation.
International Event Slots
With the potential move to five total regions (Americas, LEC, LCK, LPL, and APAC), we are reassessing our allocation of berths for international events. Each region will have one slot at the new event (5 total teams), two slots at MSI (10 total teams), and three slots at Worlds. Additionally, the MSI Champion and the second best-performing region will earn extra Worlds slots, totaling 17 teams for Worlds 2025. The Play-Ins will feature a single Best-of-5 match, with winners advancing to the Swiss stage.
Trade-Offs and Future Vision
To achieve these enhancements, we made deliberate trade-offs, including reducing the number of Tier-1 teams to ensure sustainability and focus revenue distribution. This will concentrate player talent, streamline the ecosystem, and improve match quality.
Recent changes have boosted viewership and fan engagement, indicating positive momentum for LoL Esports. We will continue to innovate, integrating entertainment and partners, and providing new ways for fans to engage with the sport.
These enhancements are designed to create a more competitive and entertaining sport for fans and a sustainable business model for teams and Riot Games. We will closely monitor the impact of these changes and adjust as needed to ensure their success.
Thank you to all our fans, pro players, and teams worldwide. We look forward to your feedback and to building a brighter future for LoL Esports together.
