NLC in turmoil as two teams retroactively lose EMEA Masters Qualification amid Witchcraft announcement

One may say that calm often comes after the storm, but in the NLC’s case, the storm continues to rage on—and it may yet take the whole league down with it. As uncertainty continues to plague the Nordic region, another wave of turmoil has struck the league’s participants. Two teams, and , have had their EMEA Masters qualification retroactively removed following the sudden announcement of Witchcraft. As a result, only one of the two remaining teams will now be able to secure a spot at the tournament, after being informed of the change last night despite earlier confirmations.

The situation first came to light through social media, with Bulldog Esports co-owner Alex Jolly publicly criticizing the decision. In a post on X, he wrote:

Bulldog’s team manager also echoed the frustration felt by participating teams, explaining how organizations had initially been told that all playoff teams would qualify:

As revealed by Witchcraft itself, the project was very much put together at the last minute. “We had to put this whole team together in literally two days, so it was very rushed,” the team’s midlaner explained on his stream. Indeed, for the past two weeks, teams had been convinced—both through Sheep Esports sources and official announcements—that four spots would be allocated to the NLC, meaning that every playoff team would qualify for EMEA Masters.

That appeared to remain the case until the very last moment, when a group of former Los Ratones players decided to reunite under the Witchcraft banner and claim one of those spots, motivated by the upcoming Esports World Cup qualifiers. This situation mirrors that of Karmine Corp Blue, who received one of the four slots allocated to the LFL in order to participate in the EMEA Masters Winter edition. “We all want to keep playing together, and we’re really eager to jump into the next thing. The EMEA Masters spot was available, so we took it,” commented Witchcraft’s coach Jakob "YamatoCannon" Mebdi.

All in all, while the move itself may not come as a surprise, it once again highlights both the precarious position the NLC finds itself in and the lack of transparency from the league’s organizers as well as Riot Games. Over the past year, rules have been changed multiple times during competitions. In fall, the LEC announced its Versus event and automatically qualified Los Ratones based on yearly performance, despite no prior mention of such a rule. Similarly, no clear statements were initially made regarding the participation of LEC Versus teams in the EMEA Masters Winter edition. Organizers ultimately made last-minute adjustments to accommodate both teams, ensuring their participation but doing so at the cost of teams that had competed throughout the ERL split.

Looking at the broader picture, the future of the NLC itself remains under serious question. As things stand, no one knows in what form the league will continue from Spring onwards—if it continues at all. As recently reported by Sheep Esports, the league has been facing major financial and managerial issues. Broadcast talent have spoken out about missing payments, while several teams have criticized the league’s management.

With Leagues.GG—the NLC’s license holders—Chief Product Officer Mathias Horn having reportedly resigned, and Inygon stepping away from its role as emergency operators after not receiving payments, little clarity remains regarding the future of the Nordic region’s ecosystem. For now, the league continues to operate largely in the shadows.

In recent days, the situation has deteriorated even further. After previously running broadcasts without on-air talent, the league now appears to have stopped broadcasting altogether, leaving fans struggling to even find the results of matches being played behind closed doors.