LEC and ERL teams will begin their journey to the Esports World Cup this week with the League of Legends EMEA Qualifiers starting April 28.
The top 10 LEC teams are joined by EMEA Masters finalists Solary and Galions to decide who will represent EMEA at the international event.
The top two teams from the Esports World Cup Qualifier and the eventual LEC Spring Split Champions will qualify for the $2 million Esports World Cup.
With so much on the line, some teams have made roster changes with Théo ‘Sheo’ Borile returning to Shifters and SK Gaming reportedly signing former Misa Esports and KCorp Blue midlaner Seo ‘SlowQ’ Ye-bit.
LEC Esports World Cup Qualifier Schedule
- April 28
- 17:00 CEST (12:00 EDT) Fnatic vs Shifters
- 17:00 CEST (12:00 EDT) Natus Vincere vs Galions
- 20:00 CEST (15:00 EDT) Team Heretics vs SK Gaming
- 20:00 CEST (15:00 EDT) Team Vitality vs Solary
- APRIL 29
- 17:00 CEST (12:00 EDT) G2 vs Fnatic/Shifters
- 17:00 CEST (12:00 EDT) GIANTX vs Natus Vincere/Galions
- 20:00 CEST (15:00 EDT) Karmine Corp vs Team Heretics/SK Gaming
- 20:00 CEST (15:00 EDT) Movistar KOI vs Team Vitality/Solary
Rounds 1 and 2 will be played this week, with the top four from LEC Versus – G2, GIANTX, KCorp, and Movistar KOI – receiving a bye into the latter.
Fnatic just defeated Shifters 2-0 on the weekend, and will be heavily favoured to win, but Sheo’s return could give Shifters the lift they need.
Natus Vincere has already qualified for the LEC Spring Playoffs, and will be heavy favourites to beat EMEA Masters runners-up Galions. However, NAVI has shown a tendency to struggle to end games, which could lead to a major upset.
Team Heretics vs SK Gaming is a match between two struggling teams who have recently made roster changes, though Heretics jungler Kacper ‘Daglas’ Dagiel has had slightly longer to prepare with his team.
Meanwhile, following their red-hot form in the LEC, Team Vitality will be huge favourites to defeat EMEA Masters champions Solary.
And Vitality may be the only team that’s favoured to defeat one of the LEC Versus top four in Round 2, having defeated MKOI earlier this month.
The dates for Rounds 3-6 have not yet been confirmed, though the qualifiers are scheduled to end by May 17.
Esports World Cup Qualifier Format
All of the Esports World Cup Qualifiers will be played online, with no official Riot broadcast.
Every series will be a best-of-three except the Upper Bracket final and Lower Bracket Finals, which will be best-of-fives to decide which teams will qualify.
Additionally, with a double-elimination format, teams will drop down into the Lower Bracket after losing in the Upper Bracket and will face no second chances from there on out.
If one of the two qualified teams wins the LEC Spring Split, the seed will likely go to the third-place team in the qualifiers.
What three LEC teams do you expect to qualify for the Esports World Cup? Share your predictions with us on the Insider Gaming Discord.
Meanwhile, in the Esports Nations Cup later this year, European LoL teams may now stand a chance as South Korea might pull out of the ENC.
Comments