2025 LEC season

2025 LEC season
League	LEC
Sport	League of Legends
Duration	18 January – 2 March (Winter) TBD (Spring) TBD (Summer)
Number of teams	10
Winter Split
Spring Split
Summer Split

The 2025 LEC season is the currently ongoing 13th season of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), a professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. It is the first LEC season under the new three-split structure and competitive calendar introduced the game's developer Riot Games starting with the 2025 competitive season.[1] As with previous years, the 2025 season is divided into three splits, Winter, Spring, and Summer — retaining its current split structure while removing Season Finals after two seasons.[2]

League changes

As the LEC already had a three-split structure prior to Riot Games' announcement of a new split structure and competitive calendar for League of Legends esports beginning with the 2025 competitive season, the LEC only made minimal changes to its structure but made each split's format different. In addition, from 2025 onwards, the Season Finals would not be held and championship points would not determine a qualifier to the League of Legends World Championship.[3]

Teams

Only one team change occurred heading into the 2025 season. Following a triple merger between KOI, Movistar Riders, and MAD Lions on 4 January 2024, MAD Lions KOI would be renamed to "Movistar KOI."[4] The name change is expected to take effect at the beginning of the 2025 LEC season.

Patches

The LEC is playing on the live patch for the first time in its history, making the second domestic region to adapt it after the now-defunct League Championship Series (LCS), which is now part of the League of Legends Championship of The Americas.

Winter

The Winter Split regular season began on 18 January, with the Winter Split Finals slated for 2 March.[5]

Format

Across three (3) weeks, all ten (10) competing teams are competing in a single-round robin tournament where all matches will be played in best-of-ones. The top eight (8) teams will progress to the playoffs, where an eight-team Double-elimination tournament bracket format will be applied. Matches in the first two upper and lower rounds will be contested in best-of-threes, while subsequent matches until the finals will be played in best-of-fives. The winner of the Winter Split will represent the LEC as its lone representative at the 2025 First Stand tournament.[3]

The Winter Split implements the "Fearless Draft" format, which was popularized by China's LoL Development League, where teams cannot pick a champion that they've already played in a series, even if the champion was picked by the opposing team.

Regular season

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	PCT	Qualification
1	GIANTX	3	3	0	1.000	Advance to playoffs
2	Karmine Corp	3	2	1	.667
3	Movistar KOI	3	2	1	.667
4	Team BDS	3	2	1	.667
5	Fnatic	3	2	1	.667
6	Rogue	3	1	2	.333
7	Team Heretics	3	1	2	.333
8	Team Vitality	3	1	2	.333
9	G2 Esports	3	1	2	.333
10	SK Gaming	3	0	3	.000

Updated to match(es) played on 19 January 2025. Source: LoL Esports

Spring

Format

The Spring Split will feature the same ten (10) competing teams from the previous split. It will be a single-round robin tournament where all matches will be played in best-of-threes. Unlike the previous season, only the top six (6) teams will advance to the playoffs. The playoffs will be contested in a Double-elimination tournament bracket, where the top (4) teams in the standings being seeded in the upper round and the next two (2) teams in the lower round. All matches will be played in best-of-fives. The finalists of the Spring Split will qualify for the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational.[3]

During the split, a limited number of matches are expected to be held in multiple countries.[3]

Summer

Format

All ten (10) competing teams will be divided into two groups of five teams. Each team in their respective groups will play other teams once in a best-of-three series match. The top two (2) teams from each group will progress to the playoffs, and the lowest-ranked teams in each group will be eliminated. Third an fourth-ranked teams in each group will play cross matches, also in best-of-threes, to determine the final two playoff berths. Similar to the Spring Split, the playoffs will be a Double-elimination tournament bracket, where the top (4) teams in the standings being seeded in the upper round and the winners of the crossplay deciding matches in the lower round. All matches will be played in best-of-fives, with the top three (3) teams in the playoffs securing qualification for the 2025 League of Legends World Championship.[3] If an LEC team finishes as a finalist at MSI 2025, it will have an additional fourth slot in the tournament.

The end of the Summer Split will take place in a roadshow, with the specific location to be announced.[6]

References

1. "LoL Esports: Building Towards A Brighter Future". lolesports.com. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
2. Daniels, Tom (29 October 2024). "LEC unveils expanded 2025 format". Esports Insider. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
3. "LEC 2025 Format Explainer" (video). youtube.com. League of Legends EMEA Championship. 29 October 2024.
4. "MAD Lions KOI y Movistar KOI: así del nuevo club de Ibai Llanos, Fernando Piquer y Adam Adamou". marca.com (in Spanish). 5 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
5. "2025 LEC Winter Split Primer". lolesports.com. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
6. Tuting, Kristine (30 October 2024). "More best-of-threes and Fearless Draft — LEC looks totally different in 2025". ONE Esports. Retrieved 14 January 2025.