2023 LEC season

Last updated

2023 LEC season
League LEC
Sport League of Legends
Duration
  • 21 Jan – 26 Feb (Winter)
  • 11 Mar – 23 Apr (Spring)
  • 17 Jun – 30 Jul (Summer)
  • 19 Aug – 10 Sep (Finals)
Number of teams10
Winter
ChampionsG2 Esports
  Runners-upMAD Lions
Spring
ChampionsMAD Lions
  Runners-upTeam BDS
Summer
ChampionsG2 Esports
  Runners-upExcel Esports
Season Finals
ChampionsG2 Esports
  Runners-upFnatic
LEC seasons

The 2023 LEC season is the 11th season of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), a professional esports league for the MOBA PC game League of Legends , and the first under new branding. The LEC rebranded from the "European Championship" to the "EMEA Championship" to broaden player eligibility. Two team changes occurred for the 2023 season, with Misfits Gaming selling their LEC franchise slot to Team Heretics and Rogue rebranding to KOI. The league also saw a major format change, expanding from two splits to three, and introduced a season final playoff. The schedule also underwent adjustments, with Superweeks every week, extending into Monday.

Contents

League changes

Branding and regions

The LEC rebranded from the League of Legends European Championship to the League of Legends EMEA Championship, opening eligibility for players with residency status in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Russia, Turkey, and the Middle East/North Africa to participate in the league without transfer restrictions. The League of Legends Continental League (for CIS and Russia) remained suspended but allowed CIS-based league to be integrated into the expanded LEC in the future. [1]

Format

The LEC underwent a significant revamp in its format for the year 2023. The new format featured three splits with three champions throughout the year. Each split consisted of three weeks of a round-robin regular season, followed by a group stage with the top eight teams from the regular season engaging in a double-elimination bracket over two weeks. The top four teams emerging from this stage proceeded to the playoffs, where they competed in a best-of-five, double-elimination format for the trophy. The three seasonal champions automatically qualified for the Season Finals, where overall seeding was determined by Championship Points. In the Season Finals, the three LEC champions met the top Championship Points candidates in a final four-week, best-of-five double-elimination bracket to decide the yearly LEC Champion. [2]

Unlike the previous structure where games were played primarily on Saturdays and Sundays with occasional Friday "Superweeks," the new schedule included Superweeks every week. Instead of concluding on Sunday, each week extended into Monday. This schedule adjustment was part of a broader transformation in the European League of Legends ecosystem. The aim was to increase the significance of regular-season games, as they historically tended to matter less, especially in the Spring splits. [3]

Teams

The 2023 season saw two team changes coming into the season. In July 2022, Misfits Gaming sold their LEC franchise slot to Team Heretics, effective at the beginning of the 2023 LEC season. [4] Additionally, following the merger between Rougue and KOI in October 2022, Rogue rebranded to KOI. [5]

Winter

Regular season

PosTeamPldWLPCTQualification
1 Team Vitality 972.778Advance to Group stage
2 MAD Lions 972.778
3 SK Gaming 963.667
4 G2 Esports 963.667
5 Team BDS 954.556
6 Team Heretics 945.444
7 KOI 945.444
8 Astralis 936.333
9 Fnatic 927.222
10 Excel Esports 918.111
Source: LoL Esports

Groups

Group A
Upper round 1Upper round 2
1Team Vitality2
6Team Heretics1
1Team Vitality0
7KOI2
3SK Gaming0
7KOI2
Lower round 1Lower round 2
1Team Vitality0
6Team Heretics03SK Gaming2
3SK Gaming2
Group B
Upper round 1Upper round 2
2MAD Lions2
8Astralis1
2MAD Lions0
4G2 Esports2
4G2 Esports2
5Team BDS1
Lower round 1Lower round 2
2MAD Lions2
8Astralis28Astralis0
5Team BDS1

Playoffs

Round 1Round 2Final
A1KOI1G2 Esports3
B1G2 Esports3MAD Lions0
KOI1
MAD Lions3
A2SK Gaming2
B2MAD Lions3

Final standings

PosTeamQualification
1G2 Esports MSI 2023 Play-In stage and Season Finals
2MAD Lions
3KOI
4SK Gaming

Spring

Regular season

PosTeamPldWLPCTQualification
1Team BDS972.778Advance to Group stage
2Astralis963.667
3G2 Esports963.667
4Team Vitality963.667
5SK Gaming945.444
6Fnatic945.444
7KOI945.444
8MAD Lions936.333
9Team Heretics936.333
10Excel Esports927.222
Source: LoL Esports

Groups

Group A
Upper round 1Upper round 2
2Astralis2
6Fnatic1
2Astralis0
4Team Vitality2
4Team Vitality2
8MAD Lions0
Lower round 1Lower round 2
2Astralis0
6Fnatic18MAD Lions2
8MAD Lions2
Group B
Upper round 1Upper round 2
1Team BDS2
5SK Gaming0
1Team BDS2
7KOI0
3G2 Esports1
7KOI2
Lower round 1Lower round 2
7KOI1
5SK Gaming03G2 Esports2
3G2 Esports2

Playoffs

Round 1Round 2Final
A1Team Vitality0Team BDS2
B1Team BDS3MAD Lions3
Team Vitality1
MAD Lions3
A2MAD Lions3
B2G2 Esports2

Final standings

PosTeamQualification
1MAD Lions MSI 2023 Play-In stage and Season Finals
2Team BDS
3Team Vitality
4G2 Esports

Summer

Regular season

PosTeamPldWLPCTQualification
1G2 Esports981.889Advance to Group stage
2Fnatic972.778
3Excel Esports954.556
4Team Heretics954.556
5Team BDS945.444
6SK Gaming945.444
7MAD Lions945.444
8KOI945.444
9Astralis936.333
10Team Vitality918.111
Source: LoL Esports

Groups

Group A
Upper round 1Upper round 2
1G2 Esports2
8KOI0
1G2 Esports2
5Team BDS0
4Team Heretics1
5Team BDS2
Lower round 1Lower round 2
5Team BDS0
8KOI04Team Heretics2
4Team Heretics2
Group B
Upper round 1Upper round 2
2Fnatic0
6SK Gaming2
6SK Gaming1
3Excel Esports2
3Excel Esports2
7MAD Lions0
Lower round 1Lower round 2
6SK Gaming0
2Fnatic22Fnatic2
7MAD Lions0

Playoffs

Round 1Round 2Final
A1G2 Esports3G2 Esports3
B1Excel Esports2Excel Esports0
Excel Esports3
Fnatic1
A2Team Heretics1
B2Fnatic3

Final standings

PosTeamQualification
1G2 EsportsSeason Finals
2Excel Esports
3Fnatic
4Team Heretics

Season Finals

Qualification

A total of six teams qualified for the Season Finals. The winner of each split is automatically qualified, while the remaining teams are determined based on Championship Points. Teams are awarded Championship Points at the end of each split based on their performance, and seeding in the Season Finals is determined strictly by Championship Points. [6]

PosTeamWinSprSumTotalQualification
1 G2 Esports [lower-alpha 1] 12060180360Advance to upper bracket
2 MAD Lions [lower-alpha 2] 10012045265
3 Team BDS 3010075205
4 Excel Esports 55150160
5 Fnatic 1020120150Advance to lower bracket
6 SK Gaming 603060150
7 KOI 804030150
8 Team Vitality 50807137
9 Team Heretics 201090120
10 Astralis 405015105
Source: LoL Esports
Notes:
  1. Automatically qualified as the winner of the Winter and Summer Splits.
  2. Automatically qualified as the winner of the Spring Split.

Bracket

Upper semifinalsUpper finalFinal
1G2 Esports3
3Team BDS1
1G2 Esports3
2MAD Lions1
2MAD Lions3
4Excel Esports0
1G2 Esports3
Lower quarterfinalsLower semifinalsLower final5Fnatic1
4Excel Esports2
2MAD Lions2
5Fnatic3
5Fnatic35Fnatic3
3Team BDS2
3Team BDS3
6SK Gaming0

Final standings

PosTeamQualification
1G2 Esports Worlds 2023 Main Event
2Fnatic
3MAD Lions
4Team BDS Worlds Qualifying Series 2023
5Excel Esports
6SK Gaming

Awards

Winter
Spring
Summer
Season

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