LEC: How can each team still qualify for the Season Finals?

The playoffs for the summer split of the LEC, the League of Legends EMEA Championship, kick off this Friday. Three things are at stake: firstly, of course, winning the third and final split of the year. Then there's a secured spot at Worlds, as promised to the summer champion. And finally, the qualification for the Season Finals, granted to six of the eight teams still in the running. As last year, the Season Finals will pit the best teams from the entire season against each other to crown THE LEC 2024 champion and award two additional places at Worlds.

Initially, the six qualifying places for the Season Finals are dispatched to the following teams: the winner of the winter split, the winner of the spring split, the top three teams from the summer split and the best of the non-qualifying teams in "Championship Points" over the whole season (each team scored points in each split according to its ranking). However, G2 won the first two splits of the year and therefore earned their place in the Season Finals 'twice'. As a result, one of these two places is up for grabs again and two teams will now qualify with points.

Furthermore, if G2 finish in the top 3 of the summer split- which seems more than likely - the Samurai would qualify a "third time", and third place would be awarded with points. Everything remains possible for each and every one of the seven teams fighting: Fnatic, BDS, Team Heretics, MAD Lions KOI, Karmine Corp, SK Gaming and GIANTX. Depending on the strength of their past performances, some of them have a clear advantage over the rest, while others can only hope to get through by finishing in the top 3... Here's a look at everyone's chances.

As indicated in the provisional ranking of Championship Points above, Fnatic (225), BDS (220) and MAD Lions KOI (200) are the best placed numerically to join G2 at the Season Finals. These teams are therefore the most likely to qualify, even if they miss out on the top 3 at the Summer Split. If none of these three teams manages to reach the podium, they could still hope that at least G2 does. Whatever the results of the other teams, if G2 or any of these three teams finish in the top 3, MDK, BDS and Fnatic will all qualify.

If we face any another situation, the organization with the fewest points over the year as a whole, at the end of the play-offs, would be eliminated from the race. Even so, missing out on the podium would be a major upset for at least two of these teams. Although the Black and Orange have recently been going through a rough patch, they, like the Swiss org, were in the top four at the end of the summer regular season. The same cannot be said for MAD Lions KOI which secured, this summer, their play-off ticket hanging on the wire after two tiebreaker matches.

Karmine Corp (45 points) may have bounced back in terms of results this summer, but they are paying for their two last places, in winter and spring. Indeed, La Prestigieuse did not score enough points this year to qualify via this path. This leaves the Blue Wall with just one way out to the Season Finals: at least a top-three finish in the play-offs this summer.

GIANTX's situation is a little less uncomfortable, but still far from desirable. The organization has accumulated 110 points and could qualify even if they miss the top 3, but will have to rely on fate to hope for favourable scenarios:

- If Karmine Corp fails to make it into the top-three, GIANTX needs to secure more Championship Points in playoffs than SK Gaming OR Team Heretics to qualify.

- If Karmine Corp achieves a top-three finish, GIANTX must secure more Championship Points in playoffs than SK Gaming AND Team Heretics to qualify.

Team Heretics and SK Gaming are currently in the bottom half of the Season Finals qualification table. While both teams are above the waterline for the time being, it would only take, as said previously, one of them to score fewer points than GIANTX at the end of the play-offs to be eliminated from the race. As for the rest of the teams, only a top 3 finish would qualify them without any doubts for the final meeting of the EMEA elite in 2024.

For what remains, if neither TH nor SK finishes in the top 3 and GIANTX and KC do, then the first two would be sidelined until 2025. If only GIANTX makes the podium, then they would both be in direct competition to qualify, and if they both end up in 5th and 6th place or 7th and 8th place, it will be Team Heretics, with its extra five points, who will clinch the final ticket.