The 2026 LEC Versus was a unique split for the EMEA region, featuring twelve teams with the invitations of
and
. The split’s viewership was a success for the league, partially thanks to LR, who were the most-watched team in terms of average viewers, drawing over 408,000 on average across the official broadcast, numerous co-streams, and notably Marc Robert “
Caedrel” Lamont’s live stream.
LEC 2026 Versus Most Popular team by average viewers is Los Ratones. Credit: Esports Charts
The team didn’t make the playoffs and only played the regular season, which makes this figure and ranking even more impressive. According to
Esports Charts,
followed with over 377K average viewers, while the podium is rounded out by
at nearly 373K. The top five is completed by
with 339K and
at almost 320K.
SK’s fifth-place finish ahead of teams like
,
, and
may come as a surprise. The project built around Mihael “
” Mehle brought significant attention to the German club, which also didn’t reach the playoffs.
The Most-Watched Split in Four Years
In terms of hours watched, LEC Versus ranks as the fourth most-watched split, behind Spring 2021, Summer 2020, and Spring 2022, despite having significantly less air time than other splits. In terms of peak viewership, the competition ranks eighth, with the KC vs. G2 final, far behind the over one million peak set during G2 vs. Fnatic at Summer 2020.
Compared to last year’s Winter Split,
LEC Versus saw a 15.5% increase in hours watched, while
average and peak viewership dropped by 3.1% and 8.2%, respectively. This makes it the
second most-watched major league of the split, behind the LCK Cup (excluding the LPL).
Los Ratones Effect
One point to note from these figures is that, aside from the grand final in first place, the other most-watched BOs in the Top 5 were all from the regular season and all directly or indirectly involved Los Ratones.
LEC 2026 Versus viewership stats. Credit: Esports Charts
In second and third place were LR vs. Vitality and LR vs. G2, followed by the G2 vs. Fnatic BO on the final day, which was decisive for LR’s future. Similarly, the KC vs. Team Heretics match on the last day, which determined the Rats’ elimination, also made the list.
