EMEA Masters 2023: Riot reveals format and slot distribution for 2023

A few days after the presentation of the new LEC format in 2023, and the addition of the African, Turkish and CIS leagues within the ERLs, Riot Games revealed a little more about the format and the progress of the new EMEA Masters, which will replace the EU Masters from the Spring Split 2023. And the change within the new Europe & MEA region brings again a redistribution of the cards for the qualifications.

As a reminder, from the 2023 season, the LEC becomes League of Legends EMEA Championships, with a single franchise league replacing the 2022 LEC, overseeing the new ERLs (for EMEA Regional Leagues) including the current teams in the European championships, but also those of the TCL (Türkiye Championship League), the AL (Arabian League) and soon the LCL (with the CIS and Russian structures). The first part of the season, now split into three splits, will end with the EMEA Masters Spring Split 2023.

The format does not move particularly: a play-in with 16 teams in 4 groups will define the 4 best teams in the EMEA region, which will join the group stage alongside the 12 automatically qualified teams. The 16 finalists will then compete in a double round robin format in BO1, then a direct elimination from the quarters in BO5. On this occasion, the distribution of slots has been reviewed by Riot which reveals how the competition will be able to play 28 teams from 13 leagues at the EMEA Masters 2023:

• LFL – 2 main stages + 1 play-in
• TCL – 2 main stages + 1 play-in
• SL – 2 main stages
• PRM – 2 main stages
• UL – 2 main stages
• NLC – 1 main stage + 1 play-in
• PGN – 1 main stage + 1 play-in
• EBL – 2 play-ins
• LPLOL – 2 play-ins
• GLL – 2 play-ins
• ESLOL – 2 play-ins
• H.M. – 2 play-ins
• AL – 2 play-ins