After a thrilling offseason, the European League of Legends scene is shaping up to be as exciting as ever. The region’s highest tier of competition is ready to impress fans around the world with incredible moments from start to finish when the LEC kicks off later this month.
The LEC will be featuring a whole new format for the 2023 season, along with an additional season and a whole new way to reach the various international events of the year, like the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship.
Related: When does the 2023 LEC season start?
With the upcoming Winter Season ready to begin on Saturday, Jan. 21, supporters might be wondering how the next few weeks will shape up and how a champion will eventually be crowned.
How the new LEC season format works
The 2023 LEC Winter Season will begin with the regular season, which will now only last three weeks through a best-of-one, single round-robin between all 10 teams. The top eight teams from the regular season will move on to the group stage.
In this group stage, these eight teams will collide in a best-of-three, double-elimination format bracket that will last about two weeks. After the top four remaining teams are decided, those powerhouses will move forward to the playoffs. In another double-elimination style bracket, these final teams will clash in an exciting best-of-five series to decide the first LEC Winter champion.
Whichever team wins the Winter trophy will also get an automatic qualification for the Season Finals, which will occur this August. Every single team to win a championship this season will get a spot in the Season Finals, where they will be met by the three best LEC teams to qualify via championship points. These six teams will battle in a four-week double-elimination bracket filled with best-of-fives, and the team to stand tall by the final victory screen will be crowned the yearly LEC champion.
