LoL: LFL 2025 New Format

The highly anticipated format changes for the LFL have been revealed this Tuesday. In 2025, the league will introduce a new split titled "Flash In," which will kick off the season and allow teams to play more matches throughout the year. The season will now feature 62 matchdays, compared to 48 in 2024.

The 2025 season will kick off with a brand-new preseason segment called the Flash In, running from January 22 to February 27. This innovative addition serves as a high-stakes introduction to the year, offering teams an opportunity to experiment while competing for a preseason title and qualification to the EMEA Masters. The segment is structured into three phases:

The ten LFL teams will be divided into two randomly assigned groups of five. Each team will face every other team in their group once in a best-of-one (Bo1) format, with tie-breakers to resolve any deadlocks. The bottom team in each group will be eliminated, while the top eight advance to the next phase.

The remaining teams enter a Swiss-style bracket where two wins secure playoff qualification and two losses result in elimination. Teams will face each other in best-of-three (Bo3) matches using the Hard Fearless format—once a champion is played, it cannot be reused by either team for the rest of the match. The first round is seeded based on group stage results, with 1st playing 4th and 2nd playing 3rd across groups. Subsequent matchups are drawn randomly, and rematches are possible.

The final phase is a double-elimination bracket featuring the top four teams. Teams that qualify 2-0 in the Swiss Stage start in the upper bracket, while those qualifying 2-1 begin in the lower bracket. All matches in this phase are best-of-five (Bo5), employing a Soft Fearless rule—champions can only be played once per series by the same team.

Following the Flash In, the LFL will transition to its traditional segments: the Spring Split (April 9 to May 30) and the Summer Split (July 23 to September 12). These splits will maintain the same structure as in 2024, with one notable improvement—regular match weeks now span three days (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) instead of two. These splits will crown the two main champions of 2025, leading up to the usual Up & Down stage, where promotion and relegation battles with Division 2 teams will take place. Moreover, at the end of each of the three splits, the winners will qualify for the EMEA Masters.