Riot Games announces the 2026 ERL schedule and unified format for all 13 regions.

Riot Games today officially announced the full schedule for the 2026 EMEA League of Legends ERL (European Regional League) season.

The schedule includes three tiers (Winter, Spring, and Summer) and corresponding time windows for EMEA Masters. It also confirms that 13 regional leagues will participate next year, and the overall structure and format have undergone major adjustments.

According to Riot's plan, all ERLs will adopt the same schedule and format in the 2026 season, symbolizing further integration of the EMEA secondary league system. The Winter Season will begin on January 7th and run until March 8th. The EMEA Masters Winter Stage will then take place from March 9th to 15th.

The Spring Season will run from March 23 to June 7, followed by the Spring EMEA Masters from June 8 to 25. The Summer Season will run from June 26 to September 17, with the final Summer EMEA Masters scheduled for September 21 to October 19.

The 13 ERL leagues confirmed for 2026 include:

Northern LoL Championship

Hitpoint Masters

·Ligue Française de LoL

Prime League

·Rift Legends

·LoL Italian Tournament

Arabian League

·Liga Portuguesa de LoL

Hellenic Legends League

·Esports Balkan League

Road to Legends

·Spain ERL

Turkish Champions League

It is worth noting that although all leagues will use the same schedule, each region will still retain its own list of invited teams, which is expected to be announced closer to the season.

The most impactful change is Riot's announcement of the complete removal of the LTR (Local Talent Requirement) restriction. Previously, ERL teams had to have at least two players from their local region to participate. Starting in 2026, this rule will no longer apply, allowing teams to freely build international rosters.

Analysts believe that this change will significantly increase the competitiveness of the EMEA Tier 2 region and give teams more flexibility in talent acquisition and roster building.