Riot Games has revealed that the LEC will lower the minimum and maximum combined wage for its teams in 2027.
The Sporting Financial Regulations (SFR) were introduced for the 2024 season to limit the spending of top European League of Legends teams.
The publisher updated the EMEA Competitive Operations website to lower the maximum threshold from €2 million to €1.65 million.
And this could be reduced further, with the update from Riot revealing that it plans to decrease the LEC baseline further to €1m by 2029.
What Is the LEC SFR?
Riot introduced the SFR at the end of 2023 as a form of soft salary cap on the LEC teams to ensure “long-term financial stability and competitive balance.”
This put a maximum on how much every LEC team was allowed to spend on its five highest-paid players.
The SFR takes into account salaries, bonuses, and additional compensation such as image rights.
However, players’ personal sponsors, cash prizes, or housing assistance are excluded from this threshold.
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If a team exceeded this limit by more than 5%, it would have to pay out a luxury tax in the form of a fine equal to 50% of how much the team overspent.
Any fees raised this way are then distributed between non-offending LEC teams and the tier-two EMEA LoL scene.
To protect teams from sudden changes, the SFR includes a grandfathering clause called a “Special Reduction” by Riot.
Essentially, when a player has signed a contract before new salary rules come into effect, their compensation does not fully count toward the organization’s budget if it’s particularly high.
The regulations state that, when calculating a team’s spending, the salary of these “existing” players is capped at one-fifth of the league-wide threshold, or at their actual salary if it’s lower.
LEC SFR Minimum Decrease
Additionally, the SFR minimum is also being lowered from €1m to €825,000.
A team that drops below this threshold won’t be fined but will see some of its revenue from Riot and its participation in the league reduced.
How this minimum will change come the further reductions for the 2029 season has not been confirmed.
What do you make of these changes? Is it healthy or a sign that the league’s popularity is decreasing? Share your thoughts with us on the Insider Gaming Discord.
Meanwhile, MKOI may have beaten the wage reductions after extending Jojopyun’s LEC contract. And for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
An esports journalist for nine years with a focus on LoL Jack has written for national newspapers, interviewed major names, and driven people mad with puns. He's most proud of…
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