Sheep Esports Exclusive: The 2026 LEC will undergo a format adjustment, with the winner advancing directly to the preliminary round.

According to a report by Sheep Esports on Thursday, the LEC will undergo a major format change in 2026. Riot Games plans to replace the LEC's Winter Split with a new Kickoff Tournament, expanding the field to twelve teams.

With this move, Riot Games is bringing the top teams from the European Secondary League (ERL) into the LEC system: the new opening tournament will feature two additional ERL teams in addition to the original ten LEC teams. Riot Games will allocate these two ERL spots to the EMEA Masters Team of the Year and the winner of the upcoming EMEA Masters Summer Split.

If the report is true, ERL team Los Ratones, who have won the EMEA Masters Winter and Spring 2025 titles, have secured a spot in the LEC's opening tournament. If Los Ratones wins the EMEA Masters Summer Championship again, their spot will be filled by the runner-up.

Sheep Esports further stated that the champion of the LEC Opening Championship will qualify for Riot Games' first international event of the year, the 2026 First Stand Tournament. This means that ERL teams could theoretically compete in international tournaments against the champions of other major regions.

However, the teams that have already confirmed their participation in the EMEA Masters have not yet received any notification about the changes in the competition system.