The Winter 2026 EMEA Masters will include more participating teams and will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the Esports World Cup.
The EMEA Masters Winter 2026 tournament is a competition for the best 36 teams from Europe’s regional leagues, and it’s a direct route to qualifying for the Esports World Cup. This new event will include 12 teams total: 10 from the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) and 2 from other European regional leagues. Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know!
EMEA Masters Winter 2026
As a huge fan, I’m so excited to hear that the best two teams from EMEA Masters Winter 2026 will get to compete against teams from the LEC! They’ll be fighting for a spot at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is happening from July 15th to 19th. It’s amazing to think local talent can make it all the way to a global stage like that!
This year’s event will include 36 teams from regional leagues (ERLs), ranked based on their performance. The competition will happen in three phases, beginning with the Champions Round. Starting March 9th, the top eight ERL teams will compete against each other in best-of-three matches. The four teams that win will automatically advance to the second round of the Playoffs Upper Bracket.
Teams that didn’t win their previous matches will compete in the Group Stage from March 10th to 15th. This stage features 32 teams, including those who lost in the Champions Round and Karmine Corp Blue, all vying for a spot in the LEC Versus. They’ll be divided into eight groups of four, and play in a double-elimination bracket – meaning teams have a second chance – with only the winning team from each group moving on to the Playoffs.
The playoff rounds will take place on several dates in March and April: March 23-25, April 7, 14, and 21. All matches will be best-of-three, except for the championship match, which will be best-of-five. The eight top-performing teams from the group stage will begin in the first round of the upper bracket. The four teams that won the Champions Round will start in the second round of the upper bracket.
Teams from the LEC Academy are not eligible to compete in the Esports World Cup. If an Academy team earns a qualifying spot, it will be awarded to the next highest-ranked team that isn’t an Academy team.
What is changing in the ERL Spring series?
These updates will affect the start of the ERL Spring Split. To give more ERL teams a chance to compete, the EMEA Masters Winter 2026 tournament will be a bit longer. Because of this, the ERL Spring Split will now begin three days after its original start date. The final stages of the Masters Winter tournament will happen at the same time as the first part of many regional Spring Splits.
Playoff matches are scheduled for Tuesday to avoid conflicting with other regional league (ERL) events. The EMEA Masters Winter 2026 will be the first step in qualifying for the EWC Online Qualifier, and will happen alongside the LEC and ERL Spring seasons.
Los Ratones were the champions of the EMEA Masters Winter tournament for the past two years, but they won’t be competing this time because their team project has ended.
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2026-02-26 19:42