EU LCS rebrands to LEC, welcomes new teams

The EU LCS is rebranding to the League of Legends European Championship, and the league’s ten franchises have now been revealed.

Early this year, Riot Games announced that the EU LCS would be transitioning into a franchising system similar to the NA LCS. The developer opened the application process to any organizations looking to become permanent members in the league.

As part of the transformation, the league is changing its name to LEC and has rebranded with a new and different logo.

After months of speculation, the ten franchises were also announced. Some expected teams are returning to the European stage. World Championship runner-up Fnatic, FC Schalke 04, G2 Esports, Misfits Gaming, Splyce, and Team Vitality were revealed as part of the LEC.

Origen will also return to Europe’s biggest stage for League of Legends. The organization is owned by RFRSH Entertainment. The entertainment company had originally planned to enter the LEC as Astralis, but decided to acquire the Origen branding in order to keep the company’s League of Legends and Counter-Strike brand names separate.

SK Gaming’s return to League of Legends comes after the storied esports organization left the game for multiple years. With new funding in hand, SK will again look to make its mark on both the European and international stages.

New entry Rogue is no stranger to the esports scene. The team is partially owned by popular DJ Steve Aoki, and this is the first time the organization has ventured into League of Legends.

English esports organization exceL rounds out the list of initial LEC franchises.

Splyce and exceL were late additions to the league. These two slots were originally occupied by Movistar Riders and North. According to Riot Games, the developers and those teams failed to reach a deal that satisfied both parties, leading to a withdrawal of each team’s applications.

The LEC debuts in its new form on January 18, 2019.