With the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) 2025 season now concluded, all eyes are turning to the highly anticipated Worlds 2025 event. At the same time, preparations for the 2026 season have already begun, with several exciting changes brewing ahead of the new year. In an exclusive interview, Maximilian Peter “MAXtheX” Schmidt, director of League of Legends Esports in EMEA, sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss the league’s format, the potential of teams like Los Ratones joining the LEC, and his relationship with fans.

What were the key takeaways from this year’s LEC formats? Many felt that having three different formats throughout the season was too much, even if it was part of experimentation. Moving forward, should we expect a more consistent format next year?

Maximilian Peter “MAXtheX” Schmidt: “Great question. We took a lot of learnings from this year. Some things went exceptionally well, like our Spring Split format, which was very well received and enabled us to do the Roadtrips. That was one of the big bets we took for the LEC—having more opportunities to get outside of Berlin, outside of the studio, and engage fans locally in their own communities and languages. That was an amazing breath of fresh air, and we want to do more of that.

That’s why, as Artem Bykov already disclosed, we’re not going to repeat our Summer format—we’re going to replace it. I also agree that having three different formats in a single year might be too much. We’re moving more toward stability and recognition, with formats that are more consistent compared to the very different ones we had this year.

Winter Split was fairly stable since it was the same as the year before. It came with its own upsides and downsides. But the biggest learning experience was the Summer Split, which for various reasons did not go the way we wanted. That’s something we’re going to adjust significantly for next year. Looking back at the three splits, I’d say we were very happy with how Spring turned out, very unhappy with Summer, and we want to do a much better job next year. I’m very excited for what we have cooking.

Do you take inspiration from other regions’ formats, like the LCK or LPL? How much of that is actually possible to apply in the LEC given the different budgets and circumstances?

Max Schmidt: Yeah, it's a great question. We’re always trying to take inspiration from what works and what doesn’t. The LCK is a great example to look up to. It’s clearly an incredible league, and even then, they’re still experimenting. You saw their Summer format, which had mixed results around their group stages. Overall, they’re doing an amazing job, and I’m in constant communication with the LCK director to make sure we learn from what they’re doing.

Their "Home Ground" model (Note: the Home Ground model allows teams to host certain regular-season matches outside of Riot’s official venues.) is another case where we’ve compared their system to our Roadtrip system to see what we can learn from each other. It’s been a really good relationship with the LCK.

The LPL is a very different environment, which makes direct comparisons difficult. Both the LPL and LCK operate as single-country leagues, while we cover more than a hundred countries with different jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. South Korea is a small, very esports-focused country with much lower costs thanks to its infrastructure. For us, the economics are very different, and that poses unique challenges.

That said, we still want to develop in that direction. One constant over the last few years is that we’ve steadily increased the number of games in the LEC. Compared to 2019, there’s been a clear upward trend. We want to continue that because fans crave more content. We’re very thankful to have so many fans tuning in, and this year we’re projecting our most viewed season ever by hours watched. We want to make sure fans get exactly what they want.

Have you considered ways to reduce match day costs, like online games or a double-studio setup?

Max Schmidt: Absolutely, it’s something we are constantly considering, and we will have an update on potential ways we can do that.

What are your thoughts on the current League of Legends calendar? We now have three splits, plus new events like First Stand and EWC. Do you feel like we could reach a point where the calendar is too crowded and devalues high-level competitions?

Max Schmidt: I cannot comment too much on EWC and third-party competitions, as those are managed by the global team. What I can share for the LEC is that there’s always a constant consideration of how to balance the calendar and the volume with the demand. We just talked about wanting more games, and there is absolutely an audience that wants that. But we also need to make sure we find the right balance. The more we add, the harder it becomes to also do everything else we could be doing.

One mantra I live by is that everything is a trade-off. You can’t have the cake and eat it too. We need to balance the audience’s desire for more competition with the need to keep the calendar manageable and sustainable for years to come.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the ERLs, especially given LVP and the Superliga going under? Could we see major changes before the next license cycle?

Max Schmidt: Great question. First, the specific case of the LVP, the Spanish ERL, is concerning. We’re working tirelessly to find a solution for 2026 to ensure stability in the Spanish ecosystem specifically. The second consideration is what we can do in the short term to prevent similar issues across the rest of the ecosystem. What short-term fixes can we implement for 2026 and 2027 as part of the current licensing cycle? Finally, we’re also thinking about the next licensing cycle starting in 2028. What can we discuss now with our ERL partners and tournament organizers to ensure sustainability in the mid to long term?

So until 2028, the focus is mainly on short-term fixes, with potentially bigger changes coming later if needed—correct?

Max Schmidt: I have to be clear—it depends. If there are more cases like the one in Spain and a ripple effect across the ecosystem, we may be forced to make more drastic changes. I want to keep that door open, and we’re not afraid to go in that direction if necessary. We are in constant communication with all our tournament organizers to be ready to act if needed. At the same time, we really value creating as much sustainability as possible in the current climate, and our tournament organizers share that focus. So for now, we are primarily focused on improvements we can make in the short term, while keeping a bigger picture view for the mid- to long term.

What are your thoughts on the offline finals of EMEA Masters and Game Changers at Paris Games Week? Many were disappointed with the timing and structure. Do you think there should be more oversight from Riot on decisions like these in the future?

Max Schmidt: It’s important to recognize a couple of aspects. Everything is a trade-off, and this is a good example. Previously, we had the EMEA Masters Finals at the Roadshow. This year, we included the world’s qualifying match as part of the Roadshow, which is why we now have a three-day LEC Roadshow. That decision was made by Riot.

We also wanted players to have the opportunity to experience a LAN event. Paris Games Week was a way to achieve that while setting up the LEC and EMEA Masters effectively. It’s arguable how well we succeeded this year, but there are many learnings to take forward.

I’m confident we’ll find a better solution next year. This year is a transition period as we move away from hosting EMEA Masters Finals at the LEC Roadshow. We have exciting plans for EM that will make our licensed partners, participating teams, and players very happy with the direction we’re going.

Does the success of Los Ratones, winning 2 out of 3 EMEA Masters so far, force Riot to reconsider guest spots or the way ERL teams cycle with the LEC?

Max Schmidt: It’s a fair question. Just as I’ve been interacting with Karmine Corp, I’m also engaging with Los Ratones to understand their goals and what they want from the ecosystem, and how we can support that. Guest spots are one potential way we approach this, and we’re considering different avenues to find a mutually beneficial solution without destabilizing the ecosystem we’ve created. We’ll share more on that, and I’m very confident we have a great solution for this problem. We’re very actively looking into ways to better integrate the ERL and EMEA Masters ecosystem with the LEC, creating a more interconnected ecosystem for the entire region. I’m very excited for the future of the entire ecosystem.

Would you personally like to see Los Ratones in the LEC?

Max Schmidt: I said the same about Karmine Corp in the past. They could absolutely be a great partner for the LEC and a valuable addition. That said, there is a partnership system, which comes with significant requirements. I would fully understand if that is not the path Los Ratones wants to pursue. This is something we will continue to discuss, ensuring everyone gets the best out of the ecosystem and knows exactly what they’re signing up for.

Some LEC teams have smaller fan bases or produce less content compared to others. How would you respond to people calling for some of these teams to be replaced? Do you see each LEC teams as equally beneficial partners for the league?

Max Schmidt: We need to differentiate two things. LEC is a long-term partnership system, and there are many ways to contribute and be a good partner beyond having a large fan base. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that fans are not aware of, for good reasons. You can absolutely be a great partner to the league without having a figure like Ibai (Ibai Llanos Garatea) or a Kameto (Kamel Kebir) backing your organization.

That said, over time we’ve seen that teams in a less prominent position naturally look for partnerships or ways to improve their footprint and fandom. This could involve partnering with a new team or selling their slot. There are several avenues that can work, and we will likely continue to see this happen over time in terms of volume, not frequency. Every few years, there is a little turnover in the LEC, and I would be surprised if that stopped, as the league constantly evolves and our partners continue to grow with it.

How do you feel about your relationship with LEC fans? Many feel Riot isn’t transparent enough or doesn’t communicate enough on social media.

Max Schmidt: Do I wish I could sometimes talk more? Absolutely. That said, we need to find the right balance. There are decisions we make for the product where some things cannot be discussed publicly. You have to manage expectations and ensure you’re doing the right things first and foremost. There are also legal implications, NDAs, and information that cannot be disclosed.

That being said, we can do a better job of being more open. I wouldn’t call it fully transparent—transparent would mean you could see everything—but it’s worthwhile to be more open. Artem Bykov has done a good job over the past few weeks with more engagement on social media, and that’s something we’ve discussed continuing to build upon. This helps strengthen our relationship with the community and sets a foundation for the update videos throughout the year, which I’m very excited about sharing, though I can’t right now.”