The
LEC Versus regular season comes to an end this Sunday, January 8, and both the qualified and eliminated teams are now known. Out of the twelve participating teams, only the top eight advance to the playoffs. While some teams were already qualified before the final matchday, Karmine Corp,
NAVI and GIANTX, the remaining teams were playing their entire split on these last games.
- Playoffs teams: Karmine Corp, NAVI, Team Vitality, Team Heretics, GIANTX, Movistar KOI, G2 Esports and Fnatic
- Eliminated teams: Shifters, Los Ratones, SK Gaming, Karmine Corp Blue
This final matchday had several plausible scenarios. LR, G2, Fnatic, Heretics and
KOI all had their fate in their own hands, with a win guaranteeing automatic qualification. Three of them succeeded: G2 defeated Fnatic, Heretics beat KC, and KOI defeated NAVI. Fnatic, on the other hand, needed Vitality, KOI and Heretics to win in order for them to advance, a scenario that ultimately came true.
Shifters and Los Ratones Exit LEC Versus
For the eliminated teams,
Los Ratones and Shifters had difficult evenings. Marc "
Caedrel" Lamont’s team lost in the opening match and needed a victory from NAVI or Fnatic, which didn’t happen, but the surprise came when KC fell to the Heretics. On Ilias "
nuc" Bizriken’s side, they did manage to win their match versus SK, but defeats for Karmine Corp and NAVI ultimately worked against them.
Two teams were already eliminated:
KCB and SK. However, the French academy showed a strong performance against GX, managing to secure a victory. Despite this, they still finish last in the league and are returning to the LFL for the rest of the year. As for Los Ratones, it’s already known that the team will not compete in the ERL for the remainder of 2026,
as previously confirmed by Caedrel.
Fnatic, the Lucky Ones
Fnatic were somewhat the lucky team of the evening. Having lost to G2, the scenarios that could see them qualify were quite far-fetched. Two of the three required SK to defeat Shifters, which didn’t happen. The remaining scenario needed KOI to beat NAVI, a tough ask given their form this regular season, but also required the Heretics to defeat the league’s best team, KC. Against all odds, that is exactly what happened.
The matchups for the next phase are already set: KC will face GX, TH will play G2, NAVI goes up against Fnatic, and Vitality will take on MKOI. It will be a double-elimination bracket, with a spot at the First Stand in São Paulo on the line.
