LoL: Everything you have to know about LEC Summer Split

The LEC Summer Split 2025 is the last major league in Riot Games’ global League of Legends circuit to resume, kicking off on August 2. After a Spring Split crowned by Movistar KOI in a grand final against G2 Esports, both teams went on to represent Europe at the Mid-Season Invitational in Vancouver — an adventure that ended quickly, as both squads were the first to exit the main stage. A few days later, they traveled to Riyadh for the Esports World Cup, where G2 managed a strong showing by reaching the semifinals after defeating Bilibili Gaming in the quarters.

This time around, the LEC will not feature a single group of ten teams. Instead, the Summer Split will kick off with two groups of five, seeded based on Spring Split performances. Group A includes Movistar KOI, Karmine Corp, GIANTX, Team Vitality, and Natus Vincere (NAVI). Group B will feature G2 Esports, Fnatic, Team BDS, SK Gaming, and Team Heretics. The two Spring finalists were placed in separate groups by default, and the remaining teams chose which group to join until one group filled up — after which the rest were assigned to the other group.

The LEC Summer Split format remains punishing: the ten teams will compete in a single round robin within each group, with only the top four from each advancing to playoffs — meaning the fifth-place team in each group is immediately eliminated. The action kicks off on August 2 with two best-of-threes. The opening match will be NAVI's very first LEC game, as they take on the Karmine Corp. The second BO3 will feature Team Heretics facing Fnatic. Neither KOI nor G2 will play during the first week, giving both teams some extra rest after a packed July and long travels following their appearances at MSI and the EWC.

The schedule for the LEC Summer Split 2025 will be structured across four weeks, with the first and third weeks featuring three days of matches each—August 2 to 4 and August 16 to 18. One of the biggest clashes of the group stage, Fnatic vs G2 Esports, is set for August 17. Week two will be shorter, running only over the weekend of August 9 and 10, highlighted by the highly anticipated matchup between Karmine Corp and Movistar KOI. The final week of the regular season, August 25 to 26, is expected to be decisive for playoffs qualification, with key matches like BDS vs Team Heretics and NAVI vs GIANTX on the schedule.

As previously reported by Sheep Esports, several LEC teams have made significant roster changes ahead of the 2025 Summer Split, with ten moves in total across the league. The goal is clear: push for a top-three finish and secure a ticket to Worlds 2025 in China, set to run from October 14 to November 8. Fnatic benched long-time midlaner Marek "Humanoid" Brázda in favor of T1 Academy's rookie Yoon "Poby" Sung-won. NAVI, who inherited Rogue’s slot and contracts, still made three changes—bringing in Francisco "Thayger" Mazo Sánchez in the jungle, Lee "Hans SamD" Jae-hoon as AD carry, and reassigning Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong to the support role.

SK Gaming also made three changes, parting ways with Janik "JNX" Bartels, Mehdi "Boukada" Lahlou, and Steven "RKR" Chen, and replacing them with Park "DnDn" Geun-woo, Duncan "Skeanz" Marquet, and Felix "Abbedagge" Braun. Team BDS added Shin "Rooster" Yun-hwan from HLE Challengers and brought in Boukada. Lastly, Vitality replaced their support with Kadir "Fleshy" Kemiksiz, while Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer—formerly Vitality's support—joined Karmine Corp as a backup midlaner.

This LEC Split comes with a total cash prize of €80,000, half of which will go to the champion. The runner-up will take home €25,000, while €10,000 and €5,000 will be awarded to third and fourth place respectively. The competition will span over two months, with playoffs kicking off on September 5 and concluding with the Grand Final on September 28.

This year, the LEC will send three teams to the World Championship, in contrast to the LCK and LPL, who secured four slots each thanks to their strong MSI 2025 performances. A familiar top four has emerged once again—Karmine Corp, Movistar KOI, Fnatic, and G2 —but one of them will inevitably miss out on Worlds. Add to that the possibility of teams like BDS or GIANTX stepping in to shake things up, and this Summer Split could be one of the most competitive yet.