Riot Reveals LoL Esports APAC League for 2025

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
Riot Games will launch a consolidated APAC League for League of Legends Esports in 2025, merging the existing PCS, VCS, LJL, and LCO leagues into a single regional structure.
02
The inaugural 2025 APAC League will feature eight Tier-1 teams, with selection based on the 2024 Summer Split playoff results from the PCS and VCS.
03
Future seasons will implement a promotion and relegation model, allowing guest teams from domestic leagues to advance into the Tier-1 APAC ecosystem.
04
The new consolidated APAC League is allocated two slots for the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and three slots for the World Championship.
05
The LCO, LJL, and VCS are categorized as Tier-2 leagues within the new structure, serving as the primary pipeline for promotion into the Tier-1 APAC League.
06
This consolidation is part of a broader global restructuring that reduces the total number of League of Legends esports leagues from eight to five.

Summary

Riot Games has announced the formation of a new consolidated APAC League for League of Legends esports, set to launch in 2025. This strategic restructuring merges several existing regional competitions—specifically the Pacific Championship Series (PCS), Vietnam Championship Series (VCS), League of Legends Japan League (LJL), and the League of Legends Circuit Oceania (LCO)—into a single, unified ecosystem. This move is part of a broader global consolidation effort that reduces the total number of professional leagues from eight to five.

The inaugural 2025 APAC League will feature eight Tier-1 teams, with selection based on performance outcomes from the 2024 PCS and VCS Summer Split Playoffs. To ensure long-term competitive viability, the league will implement a promotion and relegation system. Under this model, the LCO, LJL, and VCS will transition into Tier-2 leagues, serving as pathways for guest teams to earn promotion into the top-tier competition.

This structural change also impacts international tournament representation. While the previous individual leagues collectively held a specific number of slots for global events, the new consolidated APAC League is allocated two slots for the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and three slots for the World Championship. By centralizing these regions, Riot Games aims to foster more dynamic competition and broader access across the APAC ecosystem, emphasizing competitive merit as the foundation for team recruitment and ongoing league participation.