Outlet Sheep Esports has revealed details about the new format of EMEA Masters in League of Legends. The tournament will now become part of the qualification system for the Esports World Cup 2026.
These changes are aimed at better integrating regional leagues (ERLs) into the global ecosystem.
The path to the Esports World Cup will be divided into two phases. Unlike last year, when participation was based on invitations, teams will now have to earn their slots through a competitive bracket.
The revamped EMEA Masters Winter will run from March 9 to April 21. This tournament will serve as the first qualification stage for teams from the regional leagues (ERLs).
A total of 36 teams will participate. All of them will qualify through the standard EMEA Masters seeding system, which allocates between two and four slots per ERL depending on the league’s strength.
The competition kicks off on March 9 with the Champions Round, featuring four best-of-five series.
At this stage, champions from the eight highest-ranked ERLs (based on the 2024–2025 EMEA Masters rankings) will face off. The champions of the four strongest leagues — LFL, NLC, LES, and Prime League — will select their opponents from among the champions ranked fifth to eighth.
The stakes are high from the very beginning. Winners of these matches will advance directly to the second round of the upper bracket playoffs, while the losing teams will move to the group stage. These teams will be placed into Groups 5–8, which begin one day later.
The group stage will take place from March 10 to March 15, featuring 32 teams divided into eight groups of four.
Regional protection will be applied during the draw to prevent teams from the same league from facing each other early in the tournament. Only one team from each group will advance to the playoffs.
The groups will follow two separate schedules:
Twelve teams will compete in the playoffs. Regional protection will apply in the first round of the upper bracket.
Notably, the final four rounds will take place in parallel with the ERL Spring Split.
LEC academy teams are allowed to participate but are not eligible to claim EWC slots. If an academy roster finishes in a qualifying position, an additional decider match will be played between eligible teams for the quota.
This is a brand-new stage, where top-division teams from the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) will join the competition.
A total of 12 teams will compete:
The top four LEC teams will start directly in the second round of the upper bracket. Teams placed 5th–10th in the LEC, along with the two ERL representatives, will begin in the first round of the upper bracket.
The qualification matches will take place on April 28–30 and May 14–17.
Three teams from the EMEA region will qualify for the Esports World Cup 2026:
Previously, Gentle Mates became the champions of the RLCS 2026 - Boston Major.
