Riot Games to remove LTR requirements in ERLs in 2026

Riot Games will be removing the requirement of locally trained (LTR) players across all ERLs starting in 2026.

Big changes coming to the ERLs in 2026

According to a report by Sheep Esports, Riot Games is getting rid of the rule that enforces LTR status players within their regional competition.

While some ERLs may choose to implement their own local restrictions, Riot will no longer be the one enforcing the conditions around the LTR status, with the LFL being one of the leagues to fully lift the restrictions.

This means that all teams from the French league can field five non-French players on the starting roster, as long as it includes at least three players from the EMEA region. The last restriction is kept to prevent non-European imports, such as Chinese and Korean players, to flood into the tier-two competitive scene.

The previous LTR rule

The 2025 season had imposed a stricter rule around LTR player, allowing leagues to increase the minimum from two, the limit up until 2024, to three. Most of the ERL tournaments required to have at least two LTR players on the roster, with the main goal of fostering the growth of local talents in the tier two scene.

While this was the intended goal, foreign player could obtain LTR status under specific rules. For example, the player would gain the status if the player had “legally resided and been primarily present in the competitive area of the ERL for no less than 36 out of the last 60 months immediately prior to their participation in the first Game of the applicable competition”, according to the Article 1.3 in the ERL rulebook.

In recent years, more and more players gained the LTR status, and were allowed to compete in specific ERLs even as foreigners, further limiting the chance of seeing the real domestic talents.

What does this mean for the ERLs and competitive tier two?

This decision has inevitably positive but also negative consequences to the tier two scene. On one hand, the positives are mainly for the teams, who will have an easier team forming their rosters due to the fewer restrictions.

On the other hand, however, the lack of LTRs could mean that players might be dicentivized from competing in smaller regional leagues, with the latter getting progressively weaker over time as top players wouldn’t take part in the competition. This could, in the long term, impact the balance of power between the ERLs, especially at the EMEA Masters tournament.

We have our last semifinalists!

Congratulations @LosRatoneslol & @HereticsLeague! pic.twitter.com/FKnuWtp2TI

— EMEA Masters (@EMEAmasters) October 17, 2025

The decision stems from the clear goal of wanting to put together more competitive rosters in the tier two scene and prepare players better when they make their way into the LEC. The European league has struggled with results internationally and despite organizations’ attempts to bring in young talents from the tier-two scene, the results haven’t been the best.

With this change, it’s possible to see the best players and teams gather together, increasing the overall peak level of play they can reach. That being said, the remove of the LTR can also lead to a highly elite category of players and harm the growth of newer generations of talent.

Nonetheless, with the struggling economical landscape in the ERLs, a change was needed and it will be interesting to see how the youngsters will develop next season.