The announcement had been somewhat overdue. Just four days before the tournament’s opening, Riot Games revealed on Tuesday the group distribution for the inaugural LGC Rising, the much-anticipated competition dedicated to the female League of Legends scene. The eight participating teams have been divided into two groups. Group A features G2 Hel, Nexus Reapers, Galions Pearl, and Zerance Bloom, while Group B consists of Solary Académie, Vitality Rising Bees, SK Gaming Avarosa, and Eterna.

The qualification pathways for the eight teams varied considerably. The Equal Esports Cup, one of the scene’s flagship tournaments before the introduction of the LGC, served as a qualifier for three teams: Solary Académie, Nexus Reapers, and Galions Pearl. G2 Hel, who won that competition and enters LGC Rising as the clear frontrunner, along with Vitality Rising Bees — third place finishers at the EEC — and SK Avarosa, received direct invitations from Riot Games as representatives of organizations already competing in the LEC. The final two slots were determined through an Open Qualifier, won by Zerance Bloom and Eterna.

G2 Hel vs. Zerance to open the competition

Riot has also released the full schedule for the group stage, which will run from September 13 to 28 across three two-day match blocks. Each matchday will feature one game from each group. The tournament will begin this Saturday at 1 p.m. CEST with G2 Hel facing Zerance. All group stage matches will be played in a best-of-one in a single round-robin format. The top three teams from each group will advance to the playoffs, which will be contested in best-of-five series: group winners will move directly into the upper bracket final, while the four remaining teams will face elimination matches in the lower bracket.

At this stage, Riot Games has not yet released details regarding the playoff schedule. The confirmed information is that playoffs will begin on October 13 and that the grand final will be played in front of a live audience at Paris Games Week — which has hosted the Coupe des Étoiles finals in each of the past two seasons, previously another scene’s premier event. The final is set for October 30... likely just hours after the conclusion of the third Worlds quarterfinal.