The
Main Event will kick off four days later,
on September 29, the day after the conclusion of the
League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) Summer Split. It will open with a 32-team Swiss Stage, played across seven matchdays: September 29 and 30, October 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8. The tournament will pause on October 3–5 to avoid clashing with the final stages of
Champions in Paris,
VALORANT's Worlds.
In the Swiss Stage, four victories are required to qualify for the playoffs, while four defeats result in elimination. After the opening round, teams will face opponents with identical records. Initial matchups will be played in a best-of-one format, while qualification and elimination matches will be contested in best-of-threes. Sixteen teams will advance to the playoffs, which will be played in a single-elimination bracket with best-of-five series.
The playoffs will begin after a two-day break, with the
Round of 16 scheduled for October 11 and 12. Quarterfinals will follow on
October 16 and 17, with
semifinals set for
October 20 and 21. The
grand final will be held on LAN at Paris Games Week on
November 2. Notably, some fixtures will overlap
with key dates of Worlds. The quarterfinals of the EMEA Masters will coincide with the Swiss Stage of Worlds, while the grand final at PGW is set for the same day as the first Worlds semifinal.
