LoL: Riot Games Unveils the Formats for the Three 2025 EMEA Masters

On Thursday, Riot Games unveiled the format for the three editions of the 2025 EMEA Masters (EM). As a reminder, a third edition has been added this year, reflecting the shift of the ERL system to align with the LEC's three-split calendar introduced in 2023. The EMEA Masters will now conclude each split—Winter, Spring, and Summer—with an expanding pool of participating teams.

The Winter edition will feature 16 teams: the Winter Split champions from all 13 ERLs, along with the Winter Split finalists from the top three ERLs. These top leagues—LFL (France), Prime League (Germany), and Superliga (Spain)— have been determined by EMEA Masters results from the past two seasons, granting them an additional slot each.

The competition will use the Fearless Draft format throughout. It will begin with a GSL Group Stage played in BO3, featuring four groups of four teams. Teams achieving two victories will progress to the playoffs, while two losses will result in elimination. Regional protection will prevent teams from the same ERL from competing against one another in the group stage. The top eight teams will then advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket, played in BO5.

The Spring edition will double the number of participants, accommodating 32 teams. This includes the two Spring Split finalists from all 13 ERLs, as well as the third-place teams from the top six ERLs, determined by previous EM results: LFL, Prime League, Superliga, TCL (Turkey), LIT (Italy), and Arabian League.

The format remains similar to Winter, but Fearless Draft will not be used. The tournament will therefore open with a GSL group stage (BO3), maintaining regional protection. Eight groups of four teams will compete, with the top two from each group progressing to the playoffs. Sixteen teams will then face off in a single-elimination bracket, played in BO5.

The Summer edition will serve as the season’s climax, featuring 44 teams: the top three teams from all 13 ERLs, plus the fourth-place team from the top five ERLs (LFL, Prime League, LVP, TCL, and LIT). As in EM Summer 2024, the competition will begin with a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) featuring 16 teams: the fourth seeds from LFL, Prime League, LVP, and TCL; the third and fourth seeds from LIT; the second and third seeds from EBL (Balkans) and ROL (Benelux) and the third seeds from the remaining ERLs.

The LCQ will divide the 16 teams into four groups of four, with regional protection in place. Each group will follow a knockout format in a single-elimination bracket. The opening round of each group will be played in BO3, while the group "finals" — the second round — will be played in BO5. Only the winners of these four groups will secure spots in the Main Event.

The Main Event will therefore feature 32 teams, starting with a Swiss Stage that includes regional protection for the first round. Teams will need four wins to qualify for the playoffs, while four losses will result in elimination. The top 16 teams will advance to the playoffs, where regional restrictions will no longer apply. The playoffs will once again use a single-elimination bracket, played entirely in BO5.