The LEC Needs Stability: Why 2026 Should Deliver a Lasting Format

The LEC’s Summer Split format is officially gone. At the end of the LEC Summer Split Group Stage, LEC Commissioner Artem Bykov publicly admitted that the new format for the last split of the 2025 season did not yield the expected results and won’t be coming back to 2026. But why didn’t it work and what are the possible solutions that should be explored for 2026? There are many aspects to be considered and the “answer” is not as easy as it seems…

The Problems With Summer Split 2025

The Summer Split arrived with a format we had never seen before: two groups of five teams each, with a single round robin of Bo3s to determine playoffs. On paper, it sounded refreshing. In practice, it left everyone unsatisfied. The format felt hollow — too few matches, too little continuity, and an absence of storylines.

The LEC has always been one of the best leagues when it comes to creating entertainment with all squads, relying not only on the teams’ competitiveness. But entertainment suffers when the audience can’t follow what’s happening from one week to the next.

The final week only added insult to injury. With a direct clash of schedules with the VCT playoffs, the LEC ended up shifting its week 4 matches to Monday and Tuesday. Paired with uneven game counts, it broke the flow of the standings, making narratives less appealing. While every game looked like they were high stakes, it ended up making most of them numb.

One of the main issues over the past years has been the constant changes. Starting with the implementation of the three-split structure, the LEC constantly changed formats and schedule each year, making it hard for fans to stay attached.

Broader Issues that Impact the LEC

The format flaws, however, are only part of the picture. While the summer split’s format and schedule were far from ideal, as stated by Artem, the LEC has also been struggling with results at the international stage. Many members of the community have voiced the systemic problem behind Europe’s poor results at internationals: the low game volume.

Compared to the Eastern regions like the LPL and LCK, the LEC has much less stage time, which heavily impacts the teams’ level going into the big tournaments. And while the squads have shown resilience to adapt, it usually comes far too late when the results are already compromised. And with Worlds 2025 on the horizon, this year’s confidence isn’t exactly high.

While increasing the game volume should be the focus, there are obviously other considerations to be made, especially from a financial perspective. More matches mean higher production costs, and Riot has to balance competitiveness with their budgets and it’s not an easy decision that can be made at the snap of a finger.

What Fans Actually Want

With Riot openly listening to its community, the feedback has been quite clear:

• Stop reinventing the wheel. Nobody wants to learn a new format every January.
• More games. European teams must have more official matches to maintain competitiveness, especially ahead of internationals.
• Keep formats simple. Fans, especially casuals, must be put into a position to follow the competition more easily with clearer storylines.

The three-split structure has also been a potential influencing factor in downgrading teams’ performances. When every split is a sprint, and rosters must get the short-term results to stay alive in the competition, progress can slow down. Some teams, especially new rosters, need more time to adjust and improve over time.

Solutions for LEC 2026 – Format and Schedule Considerations

Luckily for Riot, not everything has been negative. Fearless Draft has been proven to be the right move, and the new additions, such as the LEC Roadtrips, have been well-received by fans. The focus for the LEC going into 2026 should be stability.

• Follow a structure closer to the LCK. A long season with Bo3s, standings that carry through the year. This would make the format more consistent while still rewarding the strongest teams when getting closer to the international events. Poorly performing teams would still be punished over time, but would also have the opportunity to work on the long-term. Additionally, it would make the format closer to traditional sports and easier for fans to follow since results won’t reset.
• Expand the calendar. It’s tough for fans to tune in to all the matches during the weekend when they are all crammed together. Overloading can also make the enjoyment drop heavily due to redundancy.
• Mix online and studio play. Considering costs as a major constraint, the LEC should consider going for a hybrid model to increase the game volume while keeping costs in check. Keep the studio for marquee matches and playoffs and use co-streaming to gauge the overall online engagement.

The Summer Split 2025 proved one thing: the LEC needs to have more games without making things overly complex. This must be done by having more stability and figuring out a format that can work long-term and can still be exciting for fans over time. Slight changes are going to be welcomed as long as it’s not completely reinventing the wheel.