League of Legends
GameBy Riot Games · Released Oct 27, 2009
Documents about League of Legends
Important Dates for the 2026 League of Legends Esports Season
Riot Games has announced the official schedule and structural updates for the 2026 League of Legends esports season, which spans major competitive regions including the United States, Brazil, South Korea, China, the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe.
- The 2026 League of Legends World Championship will be held in North America, with early stages at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, and the final hosted in New York City.
- The 'First Stand' tournament, featuring eight teams from global leagues, is scheduled for March 16–22, 2026, at the Riot Games Arena in São Paulo, Brazil.
- Regional league play begins in January 2026: LCK and LPL start January 14, LCP on January 16, LEC and CBLOL on January 17, and the LCS on January 24.
LPL Set to Shrink to 14 Teams for 2026
China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) is undergoing a significant structural contraction, reducing its roster from 16 to 14 teams for the 2026 season.
- China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) will reduce its roster from 16 to 14 teams for the 2026 season.
- FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) has officially exited the league following TJ Sports' repurchase of their franchise slot, effective January 1, 2026.
- Royal Never Give Up (RNG) is expected to be absent from the 2026 season lineup, though league operator TJ Sports has not issued a formal statement regarding their status.
G2 Partners With NORD Esports for Tier-2 LoL Competition
Berlin-based esports organization G2 has entered into a strategic partnership with NORD Esports to launch a new League of Legends team, G2 NORD.
- G2 Esports has partnered with NORD Esports to launch a new League of Legends team, G2 NORD, to compete in the DACH EMEA Regional League (ERL) Prime League.
- The partnership aims to establish a high-performance academy environment to develop young talent and create a clear 'path to pro' for players.
- Insurance firm LVM Versicherung has joined the project as a founding partner for the G2 NORD team.
Friendly Fire Plans Expansion Into the United States
Friendly Fire, a Croatia-based gaming cafe operator, has announced plans to enter the United States market, targeting Texas and Florida for its initial franchise locations.
- Croatia-based gaming cafe operator Friendly Fire is expanding into the United States, with initial franchise plans targeting Texas and Florida.
- The company recently strengthened its leadership by adding retired League of Legends professional player Luka “Perkz” Perkovic to its ownership group in December 2025.
- Opening a Friendly Fire franchise requires an investment between $218,400 and $390,685, which includes a $49,500 franchise fee for a 1,500-square-foot facility with approximately 50 gaming stations.
Female Esports 2025: Viewership and Industry Statistics
The female esports landscape in 2025 is defined by a strategic consolidation of events paired with a notable maturation of audience engagement.
- The female esports sector shifted to a concentrated event model in 2025, resulting in a 52% reduction in the total number of tournaments while increasing average concurrent viewership.
- Total prize pools reached a record $3.3 million in 2025, driven by international multi-game competitions and significant capital investment from the MENA region.
- Market viewership is highly concentrated, with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Valorant accounting for over 90% of total engagement.
Most Valuable Esports Tournaments of 2025: Media Value Ranking
The 2025 media value landscape for professional gaming reveals that commercial success is increasingly decoupled from raw peak viewership, favoring long-form engagement and regional monetization strength.
- The 2025 LCK League of Legends season is the most valuable tournament, generating over $71 million in estimated media value.
- Commercial value in esports is shifting away from transient peak viewership toward long-form engagement and consistent, high-frequency broadcast schedules.
- Regional league structures currently outperform prestigious global championships in financial utility due to their sustained presence in premium advertising markets.
Fastest-Growing Esports Games of 2025
The global esports landscape underwent a significant transformation in 2025, characterized by the successful integration of new competitive titles and the strategic revitalization of established legacy franchises.
- Honor of Kings achieved the highest year-over-year growth in total hours watched among the top twenty esports titles in 2025, cementing its leadership in the mobile sector.
- The 2025 esports landscape was defined by a shift toward mobile-first titles and the revitalization of legacy franchises like Clash Royale and Clash of Clans through consistent ecosystem updates.
- New competitive titles, most notably Marvel Rivals, successfully integrated into the market by leveraging existing player bases and transitioning standalone modes into independent esports.
Dignitas Partners With LANForge
The Los Angeles-based esports organization Dignitas has entered into a strategic partnership with gaming PC manufacturer LANForge.
- Esports organization Dignitas has entered into a partnership with gaming PC manufacturer LANForge, though the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
- Under the agreement, LANForge will supply high-end gaming PCs to Dignitas players, as well as to the organization's broadcast and content teams.
- The partnership includes collaborative marketing efforts, with LANForge branding to be featured on Dignitas team jerseys and promoted across social media channels.
Smilegate Consolidating Under Smilegate Holdings
South Korean game publisher Smilegate is restructuring its corporate operations by consolidating three key entities—Smilegate Holdings, Smilegate Entertainment, and Smilegate RPG—into a single integrated corporation.
- Effective January 1, 2026, Smilegate will merge its three key entities—Smilegate Holdings, Smilegate Entertainment, and Smilegate RPG—into a single integrated corporation named Smilegate Holdings, Inc.
- Seong Junho, the current CEO of Smilegate, will lead the new integrated corporation to unify business strategy and operational resources.
- All data related to the CrossFire esports ecosystem, including professional player information, gaming data, and prize money payment details, will be transferred from Smilegate Entertainment to the new consolidated entity.
LEC Versus: EMEA Invitational Details
Riot Games has announced the structure and schedule for the LEC Versus 2026, the inaugural event of the League of Legends EMEA Championship season.
- Riot Games will launch the 2026 League of Legends EMEA season with a new 12-team tournament called LEC Versus, beginning January 17, 2026.
- The tournament features all 10 standard LEC teams alongside two ERL guest teams, Los Ratones and Karmine Corp Blue.
- The competition format consists of a single round-robin of best-of-one matches, followed by a double-elimination playoff bracket for the top eight teams.
Fluxo and W7M Merge to Become Fluxo W7M
Brazilian esports organizations Fluxo and W7M have officially merged their operations to form a new entity, Fluxo W7M.
- Brazilian esports organizations Fluxo and W7M have merged their operations to form a new entity named Fluxo W7M.
- The merger follows over a year of strategic and operational alignment between the two organizations, particularly within their League of Legends divisions.
- The new organization will consolidate rosters and coaching staff across multiple titles, including Counter-Strike 2, Rainbow Six Siege, Free Fire, EA Sports FC, and the Kings League.
Riot Replaces Talon With Full Sense for VCT Pacific
Riot Games has officially replaced Talon Esports with the Thailand-based organization Full Sense for the 2026 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific season.
- Riot Games has replaced Talon Esports with the Thailand-based organization Full Sense for the 2026 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific season.
- Riot terminated its partnership with Talon in November 2025 due to a failure to meet league operational standards, specifically citing a pattern of significantly overdue payments and insufficient financial capacity.
- Talon faced public financial scrutiny in August 2025 following reports of a $1 million bridge loan and $75,000 in unpaid interest owed to investor Bainy Zhang.
Companies behind it
Riot Gamesdeveloper, publisher, owner336
Overwolfowner35
Tencent Holdingsowner, publisher747- Riotowner, developer326
- NAVERowner3
- Talondeveloper18
FunPlusowner35
Metaowner505
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