Riot Games announced Thursday some of the changes coming to the LEC EMEA Masters this year, describing it as a “defining and impactful event for the ERL ecosystem.”
EMEA Masters Winter starts on March 9 and features 36 European Regional League (ERL) teams, with the top two teams from the 2026 EMEA Masters Winter qualifying for the new Esports World Cup Qualifier. Riot also noted that Karmine Corp Blue will receive a bye into the Group Stage.
EMEA Masters Winter will crown the strongest ERL teams in the LEC and also serve as the first phase of the EWCQ, which will run in parallel with the LEC and ERL Spring Splits this year. This synergy with EWC shows Riot’s full public facing commitment to the Saudi Arabian government-funded multi-title event this Summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Riot also noted that, while LEC Academy teams can compete at EMEA Masters, they cannot qualify for the EWC Online Qualifier.
The top two ERL teams, decided at the 2026 EMEA Masters Winter, will have a chance to battle against 10 LEC teams for a spot at this year’s Esports World Cup, offering what Riot calls “a direct pathway to one of the world’s biggest stages.”
EMEA Masters Winter will feature a total of 36 ERL teams seeded based on rankings. The format will be split into three stages, starting with the Champions Round.
On March 9, the Winter Split champions of the top eight ERLs based on the current rankings will compete in a single Best-of-Three, with the four winners of the Champions Round qualifying for Playoffs Upper Bracket Round 2, while the losers will have to compete through the Group Stage.
The Group Stage will take place between March 10-15 with Best-of-Threes matches. Thirty-two (32) teams will compete in this round: Champions Round losers and Karmine Corp Blue (KCB earned a spot in LEC Versus this year). Eight groups of four will battle in a double-elimination bracket, with only the winners of each group advancing to Playoffs.
The Playoffs will be spread out across March 23-25, and 31, and April 7, 14, and 21. The eight teams from the Group Stage will move on to Playoffs Upper Bracket Round 1. The four winners of the Champions Round will start in the Upper Bracket Round 2. The 12 teams will face off in a double elimination bracket. Finals will be Best-of-Five, with the rest Best-of-Three.
Because the EMEA Masters Winter will run longer this year, Riot has decided to make some minor scheduling changes for the ERL Spring Split. ERL Spring Splits will now start three days later and the last phase EMEA Master Winter Playoffs will run in parallel to the start of some ERL Spring Splits. EMEA Master Winter Playoff matches will take place only on Tuesdays to avoid clashes with other ERL events, Riot said.
A few years ago, Riot was reluctant to allow its games to be part of the Esports World Cup. A lot has changed since then and now Riot has fully committed several of its biggest games for Saudi Arabian-funded events such as the Esports World Cup and Esports Nations Cup. Of course, Riot isn’t alone in this change in policy, as many of the biggest Western game makers have committed titles to both events this year.
The EWC is set to take place this Summer, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The competition is being produced by the Esports Foundation (formally the Esports World Cup Foundation), which is funded through a so-called “sports grant” by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the PIF.
Projects backed by the Saudi government such as EWC and ENC are often accused of being used for “sports washing,” or as a cover for the government to gloss over its record on human rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, its mistreatment (and executions of) journalists, military actions in Yemen, and more. These and other criticisms have been highlighted by international watchdog groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.