League of Legends Esports to adapt VALORANT model in 2025
Riot Games has revealed its plans for League of Legends (LoL) Esports in 2025. The league will be restructured to mirror that of VALORANT, bringing changes to regions and more international events.
LoL Esports in 2025
The LoL competitive model and landscape will look very different in 2025. Multi-regional leagues, new international events, promotions, and relegations will look familiar to fans of VALORANT Esports.
The new multi-regional Asia-Pacific league
Currently, the Philippines is part of the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) region in the Asia-Pacific. Beginning in 2025, the PCS will become a part of the multi-regional APAC league. This new league will merge teams from the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, Japan, Oceania, and the rest of Southeast Asia.
READ: League of Legends MSI 2024 begins bracket stage
This will cause an overall decrease in teams. The APAC league will only feature eight total teams but introduces promotions and relegations. This merge follows the recent consolidation and integration of the League of Legends Circuit Oceania (LCO) and League of Legends Japan League (LJL) into the PCS ecosystem.
The same will happen on the other side of the world. In 2025, LoL Esports will see the new Americas league, merging the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) from North America, the Brazilian CBLOL league, and Latin America’s LLA.
A third international event
In addition to these regional changes, a third international event has been added to the international ecosystem.
This third, still-unnamed international event will take place before MSI. This means all regions will follow a three-split year, just like the League of Legends EMEA Championship. The new event will feature one team from each region and implement “Fearless Draft” to provide more champion variety.
The Mid-Season Invitational will be pushed back later in the year. According to Riot Games, this is roughly the beginning of July 2025.
Improvements to LoL Esports fan viewership can also be expected. “We’re also pushing the boundaries of LoL Esports by developing innovative strategies that integrate entertainment, partners, and League of Legends, giving fans new ways to engage with our sport. Examples include co-streaming, Worlds Fan Fest, Hall of Legends, and more,” says Riot.
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