Report: Four in five ERL teams fear for the future of Europe’s Tier 2 ecosystem

European Regional Leagues (ERLs) form the backbone of Europe’s Tier 2 system in League of Legends. In recent years, every European rookie entering the LEC has come from the ERLs; a thriving developmental scene is crucial if Europe strives to contend for international trophies once again. For hundreds of aspiring pros, the ERLs are the only path to learn what it means to compete — and to turn esports into a career.

Europe's diversity makes it unique among developmental leagues in Lolesports: instead of a single feeder league, the region is split into multiple national circuits which converge at the triannual EMEA Masters. That model offers real competition under real pressure — but brings real challenges. Unlike academy leagues designed to serve top-tier rosters, ERLs must sustain themselves as businesses — and with shrinking viewership, shifting formats, and limited support, many are struggling.

To gauge the health of the system, Sheep Esports spoke with 41 ERL organizations across the EMEA region. The results were striking: 33 teams (80.5%) admitted they are worried about the future of the ERLs, with only five describing themselves as neutral and just three expressing confidence. From France and Spain to Turkey, Germany, and the Nordics, the sentiment was consistent: Teams still believe in what the ERLs represent, but doubt whether the system — at least as it exists today — can survive in the long run.

Among all the ERLs, the French league stands in a category of its own. Over the past years, the LFL has consistently led the pack in viewership, filling arenas with a uniquely diverse fanbase for its LFL Days. Its broadcast partner, OTP, was even singled out for praise by several teams that answered our questions. Unsurprisingly, it was also the least worried ERL in our survey of seven French representatives: three said they were worried, two were neutral, and two were not worried.

That distribution makes the LFL an exception. In most other regions, pessimism was almost unanimous; in France, opinions were varied. Some organizations stressed that the LFL’s weight — its unique importance — in the ERL ecosystem makes it too important to fail.

Still, even here, the cracks are visible. “Yes, I am worried,” admitted Samuel "Impulse" Benitah, Co-owner of Joblife, one of the many influencer-led organizations in the league. “There’s a lack of transparency, league payments, little possibility to influence the formats imposed by Riot, and player salaries remain far too high compared to the potential return.”

From Solary, Esports Manager Romain "Caelan" Albesa offered a more cautious neutrality. His concern was less about survival than about the long-term stability of a system where upward mobility no longer exists: “It is impossible to work on multi-year projects with players when you’re not an LEC academy.” This frustration was echoed by several other teams.

Others see these pains as a transitional phase. Vincent "Shaolan" Dalagi, Head of League of Legends at Ici Japon Corp, predicted that ERLs will have to be reshaped into a more unified model, warning that some teams are already living beyond their means.

But some in France remain optimistic. Clément Laparra, Head of Esports at Kamine Corp, dismissed the idea of Tier 2 disappearing: “On LoL, I'm not really worried… There will always be a Tier 2. It’s too important to the scene to disappear completely. There will likely be adaptations in the coming years, but that doesn’t mean the system will vanish.”

Even those who acknowledged the LFL’s relative strength admitted the decline had begun. One manager, speaking anonymously, described a broader loss of interest in Tier 2 and pointed to falling LFL viewer numbers as proof: “The audience has started to decline here too. Not as fast as elsewhere, but the drop is real. The difference is that we’re starting from a higher peak, which makes it look safer than it is.”

Olivier "Nephalem" Morizet, Esports Manager at Team Vitality, was less concerned for France specifically, but worried about the wider ERL ecosystem. In his view, the LFL may be “separate from the rest of the ERLs,” but it still struggles to retain talent and build lasting storylines.

The existence of the LFL is not in danger; it has influencers, a strong national fanbase, and the opportunity to shine at LFL Days. But survival does not equal health. For many organizations, costs remain too high, sponsorships are harder to secure, and Riot’s constant format and calendar changes are far too confusing, even to French fans. The league’s scale makes it look stable, but interest is already declining — a trend visible in the viewership.

The Spanish Superliga once broke regional viewership records, even before the rise of its long-standing rival, the LFL. But after the departure of several key organizations and a steady decline in audience numbers, the mood today is far darker than in France. Across the nine organizations we interviewed, not a single one expressed confidence; every team was worried about the future of the ERLs. No other major league in Europe showed such unanimous pessimism.

The outlook in the Superliga is grim. Teams describe an ecosystem in decline. Audiences are shrinking, sponsorship deals are harder to close, and any return on investment looks dubious. Several teams admitted that their ROI is “near zero,” with many other Superliga projects running at a loss. Others linked the decline directly to Riot’s structural decisions: frequent format changes, a fragmented calendar, no possibility of promotion to the LEC, and no official tournaments against LEC teams to create real stakes or visibility.

As Pablo "Orthran" Martínez, CEO of Guasones, put it bluntly: “Honestly, my outlook on the ERLs, starting with Spain, is quite pessimistic. I believe the ecosystem collapsed some time ago, and each year we’re hitting historical lows in both viewership and investment.”

Financial concerns dominated most answers. Luis "Resett" Filgueira, General Esports Manager at Movistar KOI, was clear about the imbalance between income and expenses: “Viewership and revenue are low. The cost of running an ERL team, including a gaming house, is too high for the current revenue that we can generate from prize pools or sponsors.”

Others criticized Riot’s competition formats as another reason for fan disengagement. Andrés Pérez "Genai" Otero, Sports Director at LUA Gaming, argued that instability drives people away: “Format should be easier to understand. If you change the competition every year, fans will not understand what is happening… A three-split format is the worst for practice.”

There was also frustration with the league’s dependence on LEC Academy teams. Multiple orgs said Superliga viewership would collapse without them, leaving smaller brands unable to attract fans. Player turnover was another concern: With little incentive for players to stick around, Spanish rosters often disband quickly, making it hard to build long-term narratives.

Despite the overwhelming negativity, national identity remains a strength. Spanish fans still rally behind local clubs, and the league still develops talent for the LEC. But even these bright spots, teams admitted, are not enough to offset a system that feels structurally broken.

While the LFL still projects confidence despite its cracks, the Superliga already feels broken to the teams competing in it. Spain retains prestige, history, and fan culture, but the organizations we spoke with were unanimous: The business case is deteriorating, the audience is slipping, and for many, the collapse has already begun.

If Spain’s Superliga showed a system in decline, Turkey’s TCL sounded just as fragile. Among the four Turkish organizations we interviewed, every one said they were worried about the future of the ERLs.

The problems they raised were strikingly consistent. Teams pointed out that prize pools are too low to sustain operations, sponsorships are too heavily restricted, local involvement from Riot has been scaling back, and viewership has slid year after year. Several admitted that their motivation to compete is fading fast. Bahadır “Japone” Çolak, Head Coach at Misa Esports, pointed to the basics: “Prize pool [is too low]. Some teams are still not paying players for random reasons. There are very few offline events.”

From Boostgate Esports, general manager Ahmet "Nova" Yılmaz described how impossible the economics have become: “For the teams, revenue comes only from tournament prize pools (which are very low in Riot Games) and sponsorships (with strict sponsorship rules). Compared to other sports where there are ticket sales, prize pools, streaming and sponsorship sharing, we have almost nothing.”

And Ege “riqi” Budak, General Manager at Beşiktaş Esports, highlighted the cost of Riot’s withdrawal: “Riot needs to start supporting clubs again. Since we haven’t received any support from Riot, either financially or morally, the strength of the clubs is diminishing. As we’re unable to increase our investments, the number of viewers is also decreasing. This is completely killing our motivation.”

Yet even here, teams explained why they stay. For Misa, it is ambition: “This seems the only way to grind and reach LEC/LCS.” Others pointed to national pride: the TCL still carries symbolic weight in Turkey, and local fans remain some of the most passionate in EMEA, especially when Turkish players succeed on bigger stages.

Teams we spoke to in the TCL were uniformly worried and exhausted. What keeps teams competing is ambition and fan passion, not sustainable economics. Without real support, Turkey risks becoming the clearest example of an ERL that survives in name only — a shadow of the region that once held a Worlds spot.

The NLC had been on a long decline — dwindling viewership, fading sponsors, and little visibility compared to France or Spain. Then 2025 brought a surprise: the arrival of Los Ratones, a team built around former LEC stars and high elo streamers led by Marc "Caedrel" Lamont.

For the first time, Riot allowed players to stream while playing their official matches. Los Ratones embraced it fully; players generated income from their own stream instead of earning traditional salaries, and Caedrel’s massive costreams amplifyied the effect. The result was explosive. With other teams applying this model, NLC viewership spiked to levels not seen in years, reaching as high as 360,000 viewers in the Winter finals.

But underneath the excitement, most orgs remained concerned. Los Ratones seems to be the only team sustaining this model long-term. Out of the five NLC representatives we spoke with, three said they were worried about the league’s future.

Michel Klepper, co-founder of NORD Esports, was blunt about the lack of sustainability: “It’s not sustainable at all. There’s too much league content to watch, no real revenue streams like prize money, and no emphasis from Riot. Prize pools haven’t changed in years, and there’s no effort to advertise or highlight the league at the LEC level.”

Nicklas Carstensen, Team Manager at Verdant highlighted the daily struggles teams face: “We face pretty much every difficulty you can imagine: player expectations are too high, the market is adjusting too slowly, there are almost no commercialization opportunities — and sometimes the tournament organizer even takes opportunities away.” When asked why Verdant still competes despite this, he admitted that the decision isn't business-motivated: “At this point, we’re in it for the love of esports and League of Legends. There’s not much more to it than that.”

Alongside NORD, Verdant, and others, one org broke the pattern: Kaos Esports. Unlike the others, they were not worried. For Kaos, the Los Ratones approach wasn’t a gimmick but a step in the right direction — a model where salary expectations drop and players create revenue through streaming.

Los Ratones proved that the ERLs are a fantastic place to build a brand, and Kaos even believes the NLC has found the right formula. But for the majority, the league remains fragile, underfunded, and overlooked, its surge built more on one exception than on sustainable foundations. If Los Ratones leave the league, many fear the NLC will collapse entirely.

In the early ERL days, the Prime League was among the most competitive circuits, attracting top talent outside of the LEC. Eventually, however, lacking the fan appeal of Spain or France, its decline started earlier than most.

The arrival of Eintracht Spandau in 2022 briefly reversed that trend, bringing an influx of new fans and energy. But even after winning EMEA Masters last year, the org announced it would shift its focus toward content rather than competitiveness for 2025. As Team Manager Kevin "Vadda" Westphal explained: “Right now it’s just impossible to build anything long-term. Riot changes the format from split to split, and you never know what the ecosystem will look like in a year. That makes it extremely hard to invest seriously.”

That frustration was echoed by other Prime League representatives: behind the big brands and streamer teams, most admitted they were worried about the future. Teams described an ecosystem that is increasingly difficult to sustain.

In 2025, the league experimented with allowing player streams during official games, producing a surge in viewership around Muhammed "Agurin" Koçak and CGN Esports. That momentum collapsed after the team was disqualified for repeated lineup violations. Combined with the departure of SK Gaming’s academy team earlier this year, the volatility of the Prime League underlines its root issue: opportunities arise, but the Prime League struggles to turn them into lasting growth for its teams.

The recurring complaints mirror those across Europe: stagnant prize pools, unstable formats, difficulty monetizing sponsorships, and a lack of international stakes. Fabian "Sheepy" Mallant, Head Coach of Unicorns of Love, called for more meaningful links to the LEC: “Winning a tournament of LEC vs ERL teams — promotion tournaments would be a dream, but at least something in that direction is needed. Really, anything so players can connect with others and fans have more reasons to engage.”

Despite the challenges, Germany’s community keeps potential. Offline events are vibrant, rivalries like Spandau vs BIG still energize fans, and the Prime League retains one of the largest ecosystems with its multiple divisions. But, as many have cautioned, the league doesn't need to be healthy to endure; the Prime League's continued existence shouldn't be taken as evidence that the current system is functional.

Representing multiple Eastern European countries, Rift Legends and its predecessor, the Ultraliga, always had a strong focus on the passionate Polish community. But like other ERLs, the league had suffered from declining viewership and a steady loss of talent. Its fortunes briefly shifted this year, when the introduction of in-game streaming brought a sudden resurgence.

Leading the wave was a streamer-led roster owned by Artur “Rybson” Gębicz, Founder of — and jungler for — StormMedia Fajnie Mieć Skład, which broadcasted its matches directly to fans and drew audiences far larger than usual for the league. The project mirrored what happened in the NLC with Los Ratones: content-driven hype injecting fresh attention into a struggling ERL.

Rybson was clear about both the impact and the limits: “Numbers may be growing, but I’d argue that’s mainly thanks to the streamer roster. What’s missing is a tournament that actually bridges Tier 1 and ERLs… even if it’s a David versus Goliath situation, it would still be exciting to watch.” Across the four teams we spoke with, three said they were worried about the future and only one described their stance as neutral. Traditional organizations were the most pessimistic.

Dimitrije "Hebihime" Malesevic, Owner & CEO of Zero Tenacity, stressed how unsupported teams feel in the system: “There’s no protection from player agencies, no legal support from Riot, and franchises should actually behave as franchises, not Ponzi schemes. Every year we gaslight ourselves that things will be better.”

From Back2TheGame, owner Daniel "DArtagnan" Spyrka highlighted the lack of ambition and the financial squeeze: “The best you can achieve is a good result at EMEA Masters, which currently isn’t worth much. Costs keep going up, while sponsorship opportunities stay extremely limited.”

The only more balanced response came from Forsaken, who described their stance as neutral. While not confident in the league’s stability, he underlined that Rift Legends still serves a role: “The ERL leagues are still a good place for young talent to develop. There are no real alternatives for anyone who isn’t in the LEC.”

This mixture of frustration and pragmatism captures Rift Legends today. Influencer-driven projects can still create real excitement, but for most orgs, the fundamentals remain shaky: small prize pools, weak structural support, and no connection to the LEC. The Polish ERL can still produce moments that unite fans together, but its long-term health depends on more than a single streamer team. The passion exists, but the structure is limited.

Beyond the accredited ERLs, Europe’s smaller ERLs — from the Balkans (EBL) and Benelux to the Greek League and Arabian League — face the same structural weaknesses, but without the cushion of scale. Where the LFL and Superliga at least benefit from big audiences and headline sponsors, these smaller scenes often run on passion alone.

Across interviews, the sentiment was overwhelmingly negative. Most teams said they were worried about the future, pointing to the same loop: tiny prize pools, functionally-nonexistent sponsorship markets, and instability in Riot’s calendars making long-term planning impossible. For regions already struggling to stay visible, those shifts hit twice as hard.

In the Balkans, Jovan Mijailović, President of Partizan Sangal, criticized the absence of communication and direction from Riot: “There’s a lack of communication from Riot and a lack of a clear path for how ERLs should develop.”

That lack of clarity is a recurring theme. Without visibility or guarantees, even passionate local clubs hesitate to invest. One Balkan representative said bluntly that without volunteer labor, the league “could not function.”

The Benelux faces a similar trap. Teams there described a vicious cycle: low visibility makes it harder to perform on a European stage, which in turn reduces resources and shrinks visibility even further. Denis “Shoganaï” Lefebure, Head of LoL at ZennIT, summed it up: “We feel the instability very strongly in Benelux… it becomes a vicious circle: less performance → less visibility → fewer resources → repeat.”

In Greek Legends, the answers combined pride and frustration. Team Phantasma praised the loyalty of their fans — “Greek fans are the best by far” — but admitted that the ecosystem cannot retain talent or attract sponsors. Promising players leave for richer leagues, leaving domestic clubs with no way to build lasting projects.

The Arabian League shows how quickly optimism can turn into concern. Riot’s launch of an official ERL in the region initially excited local orgs, but the lack of real support soon became clear. Joe, Founder & CEO of Anubis Gaming, explained: “We’re seeing declining viewership, limited monetization, and very poor return on investment for teams.”

Ihab "MarshallNemesis" Tarrafti, Head of Operations for Geekay Esports, went further, calling for concrete changes: “Allow feasible sponsorship deals for organizations… we need to be financially sustainable before we can even think about developing young talent.”

These smaller ERLs are not short on identity. Balkan teams compare their rivalries to football derbies; Greek orgs talk about the passion of their fans; Arabian clubs see value in giving local players a stage. But without the budgets of France or Spain, those identities are difficult to sustain. When an influencer project appears, numbers may spike — but as one manager noted, “when it ends, there’s little left to hold fans or sponsors in place.”

While 80% of ERL teams expressed concern about the future, all had improvements in mind. Among them, there is recognition of efforts that should continue to be nurtured. For example, many LFL teams praised offline events designed to foster connections with local fans and create face-to-face rivalries in real life. However, smaller ERLs have grown frustrated with the lack of similar opportunities for them — a sentiment shared by almost all regions. It's important to make improvements, but not without losing sight of what’s already working.

The answers from representatives revealed two broad camps: those seeking to fix the current ERLs and those who believe the system itself has run its course.

For those in the first camp, the core demand is to make ERLs matter again by reconnecting them to the LEC. Daniel Spyrka (B2G) suggested “guest slots” — one or two LEC spots reserved each year for the best ERL teams. Others proposed official tournaments between ERL and LEC teams, offering Tier 2 visible benchmarks against Tier 1. Even smaller changes, such as providing EMEA Masters winners with tangible prizes beyond bragging rights, would create meaningful incentives.

The second camp argues that patching the system won’t be enough. Some teams suggested replacing national ERLs entirely with a pan-European second division. One manager envisioned a league of 10 to 20 teams selected from ERLs, governed by strict business standards, with a central English broadcast and national co-streams. This new league would preserve the regional identity and fanbase of ERLs while offering a more sustainable structure.

Economically, solutions diverge significantly. Spanish orgs like Movistar KOI called for larger prize pools or in-game revenue sharing (such as skins tied to ERL clubs), while Kaos Esports in the NLC championed streaming-based models where players monetize their POV broadcasts. However, many teams also reminded us that ERLs’ primary role is talent development for the LEC. If all players become content creators, that developmental function risks being lost.

Almost every region complained about constant format changes, but opinions differ on what stability should look like. Some want to return to two longer splits, with larger offline finals anchoring the calendar. Others prefer keeping three splits but with more consistency year-to-year. UCAM CEO Marco "Manmatao" Mourão argued that stability should also mean filtering out less reliable orgs: “Stopping the exodus of large organizations is essential... You can’t replace diamonds with crystals.”

The sharpest divide came on the issue of national identity. Some, like Aarón "Babeta" Collados Bernabeu, Manager of Ramboot, called for stricter roster rules to keep local players central, even suggesting limits on foreign signings. For him, the value of the ERLs lies in showcasing national rivalries that the LEC cannot. But other managers pushed back, warning that such restrictions would “lower the level of play” and hinder competitiveness.

Paweł "Ziutek" Wierzbicki, Vice CEO at Forsaken, presented a different way to profit from national fandom, arguing that the focus should be on inviting more streamers and influencers into the leagues — as players, ambassadors, or casters — letting them promote the league in their own way.