“Riot fucked us out of a spot at the first-ever Tier 2 Worlds” — EMEA Masters WSCI qualifier announcement sparks frustration

Which EMEA team will join and at the World Star Challengers Invitational? The new Tier 2 international competition announced by Riot Games this Thursday will feature three teams from the region. As reported by Sheep Esports, the two LFL teams were the first sides selected to represent the region, based on their performances throughout the season at the EMEA Masters — Solary won the Winter edition, and Galions the Spring one.

A few minutes after the competition announcement, the EMEA Masters revealed on X how the final team would be selected, with a Qualifier set to determine the third representative. It will take place from September 13–14 and will feature three teams from the Spanish, Turkish, and German leagues.

First, the winner of the LES (MKOI Fénix or Team Heretics Academy) will face the winner of the TCL (Bushido Wildcats or PCIFIC Esports). The team that wins this matchup will then face the winner of the Prime League (G2 Nord or Berlin International Gaming), with the winner of that final match earning a spot alongside Galions and Solary at the WSCI.

The short turnaround for the format may seem understandable, given that the event is now less than three weeks away. The choice of teams can also be justified, considering that, with two LFL teams already invited, the other three leagues have recently been the most successful Tier 2 competitions outside France. Nevertheless, the format inevitably leaves the other French teams on the outside looking in, which sparked anger among the teams involved.

Having recently finished as LFL Summer Split runners-up after losing to Galions, may understandably feel frustrated by the situation. The team’s AD Carry, , did not mince his words when the format was announced. “Why do these dogshit regions get to play over us and KCB?” he wrote on his X account.

One of the team’s coaches, Frédéric “Glopo” Sialelli, also wrote several posts to express his frustration. “We’re being punished because the level of our league is too high”; “Riot fucked us out of a spot at the first-ever Tier 2 Worlds.” The coach also says that he “hope[s] that the practice of inventing tournaments and/or qualification rules after the fact will quickly disappear from the face of the earth.” Fans have also pointed out that some teams might not have built their projects in the same way had they known from the outset that qualification for this event would be at stake.