Riot Games announced Monday that it will untangle North American and South American League of Legends Esports, and return to having separate leagues in 2026. In June 2024, Riot Games announced a major haul to the global ecosystem for League of Legends esports in 2025, which combined Liga Latinoamérica (LLA), Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLoL) and League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) into League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA).
In its announcement Riot said that North American League of Legends esports would return to its old name LCS, and Brazil would go back to being called CBLoL.
As for why the company has returned to branding recognized by fans and given these leagues their independence again, Riot said the following:
With these changes, cross-regional playoffs have been removed, with each region running its own season and crowning their own champions. Generally, these leagues return to the 2024 model: this includes First Stands, with LCS and CBLOL qualifying one team each; MSI, which will see LCS will qualify two teams and CBLOL will qualify one team; and Worlds, with LCS will qualifying three teams; and CBLOL qualifying one team.
Latin American teams will compete within the LCS and CBLOL structures, with the LCS supporting all of North and Central America, and the CBLOL bringing together South America (Brazil and LATAM South). Riot noted that LLA will not return as a standalone league, but teams and players will continue to have a space in the Americas.
LYON will stay as a Partner Team in the LCS, and Leviatán will stay as a Partner Team in the CBLOL. Both leagues will also continue to use the Guest Team slot system in 2026 for tier-2 teams; for the LCS teams from NACL or LRN, and for CBLOL, CD or LRS.
More details about these and other changes from Riot can be found here.