Riot changes up the LEC’s playoff format ahead of the 2020 Spring Split

Teams will have to truly earn their place in the finals and at Worlds this year.

Image via Riot Games

Before the start of the 2020 season, Riot Games has made some big changes to the LEC playoff format, as well as the way Championship Points will be handed out in the future.

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While the regular season is keeping the same format and six League of Legends teams will make the playoffs as per usual, the new postseason format will ensure that the squads that reach the finals have truly earned their spots by having both finalists win at least two best-of-five series beforehand.

Week one

Match one: First seed chooses to play against either the third or fourth-seeded teams.
Match two: Second seed plays whichever team wasn’t not chosen for Match One.
Match three: The fifth and sixth seed face off.

Week two

Match four: The lowest seeded team that loses in match one or two plays the winner of Match Three.
Match five: The winners of Match One and Two face off in the winners bracket.
Match six: The winner of Match Four plays the highest-seeded loser in Matches One and Two.

Week three

Match seven: The winner of Match Six plays the loser of Match Five.
Match eight: The winner of Match Seven moves on to face the undefeated team from the winners bracket for the LEC championship.

LEC playoffs
Photo via Riot Games

As for Championship Points, teams in the Spring Split will earn points based on their performance during the playoffs. In the summer, however, teams will only earn points for their performances during the regular season.

These points will then seed the top six teams into the playoffs, which means that European World Championship spots will be determined solely by 2020 Summer Playoff performances. This also marks the end of the LEC’s regional qualifiers.

These changes should help provide fans with a much more exciting season since the Summer Split’s regular season games now have a huge impact on the playoffs and Worlds qualification.

Author
Image of Tyler Esguerra
Tyler Esguerra
Lead League of Legends writer for Dot Esports. Forever an LCS supporter, AD carry main, with more than five years in the industry. Sometimes I like clicking heads in Call of Duty or VALORANT. Creator of the Critical Strike Podcast.