Riot Games revealed its plans to change the broadcast schedules of the leagues in its League of Legends esports ecosystem on 15th December 2022. As a result, the League of Legends EMEA [Europe, Middle East, and Africa] Championship (LEC) will be played on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and move away from the usual two-day schedule. Additionally, the games are set to begin at 6 pm CET. Starting 2023, the LEC features three splits starting with the LEC 2023 Winter Split. Following this, teams will play the usual Spring and Summer splits and the LEC Season Finals will be the culmination of the league’s competitive year.
Here’s all you need to know about the LEC 2023 Winter Split.
A guide to LEC 2023 Winter Split
The LEC 2023 Winter Season is the first split of the newly merged EMEA League of Legends system. This is the fifth year of the LEC and the first season following the changed format. The Winter split features three different stages. Stage 1 saw all ten teams competing in a best-of-one (BO1), single round-robin setup. Meanwhile, the top eight teams advanced to Stage 2, a double elimination group stage. From here, the top four will make it to Stage 3, the double-elimination playoffs. Stages 2 and 3 will feature best-of-threes and fives.
The same format will continue for the Spring and Summer splits, and the top six teams from across the season will fight for the championship in a double elimination bracket and for qualification to Worlds 2023 during the LEC Season Finals.
LEC 2023 Winter Split Stage 2 (Groups)
The Group Stage of the LEC 2023 Winter Split kicked off on 11th February, with just eight teams in the running after Fnatic and Excel Esports got eliminated after the regular split. The eight teams were split into two groups of four each and they will be taking part in a double-elimination bracket. From here, the top four teams will advance to Stage 3, the playoffs. Note that the matches are best-of-three (BO3) and each game will feature two matchups.
The Groups are as follows:
(You can find the Stage 1 standings and match results below)
Stage 1: LEC 2023 Winter Split: Teams and standings
Schedule for LEC’s Winter Split
The LEC Winter Split 2023 is kicking off on 21st January 2023 and will feature intense League of Legends action. The times mentioned in the table are in CET and are subject to change.
Week 1
Where to watch
Fans can watch the LEC 2023 Winter Split live on the official LEC channel on Twitch once the league kicks off on 21st January 2023. You can also check out the games as video on demand (VODs) on the LoL Esports VODs and Highlights channel.