LEC Versus 2026 Format, Teams, Schedule

The 2026 League of Legends EMEA season kicks off with a fresh tournament. LEC Versus, replacing the traditional Winter Split.

This inaugural event brings together all 10 LEC partner teams and two standout invites from the EMEA Regional Leagues (ERLs), creating exciting cross-tier matchups right from the start.

Format Breakdown

• Regular Season: Single round robin of Bo1 matches across 12 teams, where everyone plays each other once. Six games per gameday keep the action snappy over four weeks.
• Playoffs: Top 8 advance to double elimination bracket. Rounds 1-2: Bo3 with Fearless Draft; from Round 3: Bo5. Two losses and you’re out.

The champion claims EMEA’s ticket to First Stand, the year’s first international showdown.

Full Week 1 Schedule

Action hits the Riot Games Arena with these matchups:

January 17 (Day 1):

• 4:00 PM GMT: Los Ratones vs Fnatic
• 4:45 PM: GIANTX vs Shifters
• 5:30 PM: NAVI vs Team Heretics
• 6:15 PM: Team Vitality vs SK Gaming
• 7:00 PM: Karmine Corp vs Karmine Corp Blue
• 7:45 PM: G2 Esports vs Movistar KOI

January 18 (Day 2):

• 4:00 PM GMT: Team Heretics vs Shifters
• 4:45 PM: Los Ratones vs Karmine Corp Blue
• 5:30 PM: Team Vitality vs NAVI
• 6:15 PM: SK Gaming vs Fnatic
• 7:00 PM: G2 Esports vs GIANTX
• 7:45 PM: Movistar KOI vs Karmine Corp

January 19 (Day 3):

• 4:00 PM GMT: NAVI vs Fnatic
• 4:45 PM: Team Vitality vs Karmine Corp Blue
• 5:30 PM: Team Heretics vs GIANTX
• 6:15 PM: Shifters vs Movistar KOI
• 7:00 PM: Los Ratones vs Karmine Corp
• 7:45 PM: SK Gaming vs G2 Esports

#LEC Versus kicks off on January 17!

Full schedule: pic.twitter.com/SVAQhd6JHl

— LEC (@LEC) December 16, 2025

Competing Teams

LEC Partners:

• Fnatic
• G2 Esports
• GIANTX
• Karmine Corp
• Movistar KOI
• NAVI
• Shifters (formerly Team BDS)
• SK Gaming
• Team Heretics
• Team Vitality

ERL Invitees:

• Karmine Corp Blue: Academy squad that won EMEA Masters Summer 2025 with a 3-0 grand final over Los Ratones.
• Los Ratones: Caedrel’s streaming powerhouse, claiming three NLC titles and two EMEA Masters wins in 2025. Full roster intact, including streamer Thebausffs suiting up.

Catch every match live on Riot’s Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok channels, with co-streams from top creators.

No prize pool details yet, but the First Stand seed is the ultimate prize.

Daniel Davis

Since: October 29, 2025

Hi, I’m Dan, an experienced esports journalist and author passionate about competitive gaming and digital culture. I specialize in titles like Counter Strike, Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Valorant. I’ve documented the rise of professional esports from local tournaments to global stages. With a sharp focus on player strategy, team chemistry, and the evolving industry landscape, I deliver in depth insight into the world’s most popular competitive games.

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