LEC 2023 Overview

Last week, Riot announced a slew of format changes coming to the LEC in 2023, including the highly requested introduction of best-of-3 matches. Here's an overview of how the 2023 LEC season will operate.

New Format

The LEC is changing to a 3-split season, with each split only lasting for 6 weeks. The beginning of the split will remain fairly similar to the current model with each team playing a best-of-1 in a single round robin. However, the bottom 2 teams will then be eliminated from the split.

The top 8 teams will move onto a best-of-3 double elimination group stage, reducing the number of teams down to 4. These top 4 teams will move onto the Split playoffs, competing in a double elimination best-of-5 tournament to decide to winner of the Split.

The winners of each split (Winter, Spring and Summer) will automatically qualify for the LEC Season Finals, while the rest of the spots will be determined by Championship Points. The LEC Season Finals will not only determine the overall winners for the LEC year, but who will represent the region at Worlds.

Additionally, the LEC itself is expanding to include Türki̇ye, CIS and MENA, meaning players from these countries are able to compete as residents instead of imports.

An Exciting Step Forward

LEC 2023 is set to be an incredibly exhilarating season; we're set for more games than ever before, and each game will feel a lot more meaningful. 2 teams will be eliminated after just 3 weeks of competition, and it's imperative teams start off the split strong else risk being eliminated.

The community has been demanding a shift to best-of-3s for years, giving pros more stage practice and fans the chance to watch more intense match ups between competitive teams. With the 9th and 10th teams being eliminated before the best-of-3s, this should reduce the number of stomps between the League's top and bottom teams.

The old format also had issues with burnout for both fans and players; 9/10 weeks plus playoffs can drag, particularly around the mid-split slump. With splits only lasting for 6 weeks, they will feel much tighter and satisfying for pros and fans alike.

Finally, the ruthless nature of this format should push teams to be better else they won't get the chance to compete. Teams can't be complacent and still be rewarded with 2 months worth of games; if you're the worst after 3 weeks, your split is over.

Summary

There are still some lingering questions about the new format, such as:

• How will side selection work for the best-of-1s?
• How will tie-breakers be decided?
• What will the format be for the LEC Season Finals?

We expect to receive answers to these questions as we get closer to the 2023 Winter Split kicking off in January.