The EMEA Masters Winter 2026 will feature more teams while also providing a qualification path to the Esports World Cup.
The EMEA Masters Winter 2026 tournament brings together the top 36 teams from Europe’s regional leagues (ERLs), offering them a direct pathway to the Esports World Cup Qualifiers. This newly introduced event will feature 12 teams in total, 10 from the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) and two representatives from the ERLs. Let's dive into everything we know about the event!
EMEA Masters Winter 2026
The top two teams from the EMEA Masters Winter 2026 will have a chance to battle against the LEC teams for a spot at the Esports World Cup, set to happen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Jul. 15 to Jul. 19.
In this edition, the event will feature 36 ERL teams seeded according to their rankings. To begin with, the competition will be divided into three stages, starting with the Champions Round. From March 9 onward, the top eight ERLs will face each other in best-of-three (Bo3) series. As a result, the four winners will qualify directly for the Playoffs Upper Bracket Round 2.
The losers will have to go through the Group Stage from March 10 to 15. In this stage, 32 teams will compete, which includes the Champions Round losers and Karmine Corp Blue. They have earned their spot for participation in the LEC Versus. Eight groups of four teams will play in a double-elimination bracket, with only the winners advancing to the Playoffs.
Finally, the Playoffs stage will be happening across March 23-25, April 7, 14, and 21. All the matches will be Bo3, except for the Grand Finals, which will be best-of-five (Bo5). The top eight from the Group Stage will be playing at the Upper Bracket Round 1. The four winners of the Champions Round will start in the Upper Bracket Round 2.
The LEC Academy teams cannot qualify for the Esports World Cup. If they finish in a qualifying position, the slot will be given to the next highest-ranked non-Academy team.
What is changing in the ERL Spring series?
The introduction of these changes will also impact the ERL Spring Split. To ensure that as many ERL teams as possible can compete, the EMEA Masters Winter 2026 will be extended in duration. As a result, the ERL Spring Split will begin three days later than originally scheduled. The Masters Winter Playoffs will be running in parallel with the opening stage of several regional Spring Splits.
The Playoffs stage matches will take place on Tuesday to avoid clashes with other ERL events. The EMEA Masters Winter 2026 will serve as the first phase of the EWC Online Qualifier, which will also run at the same time as the LEC and the ERL Spring Splits.
Los Ratones have won the last two editions of the EMEA Masters Winter tournament. However, they won't be participating in the event due to the closure of the project.
