LoL – NLC: Final Peaks at 360,000 Viewers as Los Ratones Face Nord Esports

The NLC final took place last Sunday in Nottingham, featuring a showdown between Los Ratones and Nord Esports. By all accounts, this edition was a massive success in terms of viewership, largely thanks to co-caster Marc Robert "Caedrel" Lamont and his team, Los Ratones, which brought together well-known League of Legends personalities like Martin "Rekkles" Larsson and Simon "Baus" Hofverberg. Their opponents, Nord Esports, also featured familiar names such as Matthew "xMatty" Coombs and Lucas "Santorin" Larsen.

The best-of-five series drew over 360,000 viewers, significantly outpacing the LTA Cross Conference final between Team Liquid and 100 Thieves, which peaked at just 166,453 viewers. Los Ratones secured a dominant 3-0 victory in a final marred by repeated technical pauses.

The final of the Northern League of Legends Championship, despite being a minor league, attracted more viewers than three major leagues (LTA, LPL, and LCP) outside of Chinese platforms. This raises questions about how audiences prefer to consume esports, highlighting that community attachment to favorite streamers may now outweigh pure competitive level.

Streamer-backed teams have become a major pillar of European esports, with organizations like Karmine Corp, led by Kamel "Kameto" Kebir, and Movistar KOI, founded by Ibai "Ibai" Llanos, playing a crucial role in shaping the scene. Their influence extends beyond just building competitive rosters—their personal brands drive massive engagement. This was especially evident with KOI, as viewership significantly dropped when Ibai stopped casting the team’s matches.