Two pillars of the Ligue française de
League of Legends (
LFL) are on the verge of merging. According to
Sheep Esports sources,
Team Vitality and
Team BDS have indeed reached an agreement to collaborate at the national level with their academies. One of the key strengths of this merger — already approved by Riot Games — is that both teams will be able to benefit from each other’s resources. For example, the newly formed academy will be able to bootcamp regularly, using the facilities of both organizations.
The Bees have been present in the league since its inception in 2018, yet they have never managed to claim the title. The Swiss organization joined the LFL a few years later, in 2021, and notably etched its name in the championship’s history last year, with an exceptional 2024 season culminating in a domestic title at the Summer Split. The 2025 season, however, proved particularly challenging for BDS Academy. With its rookie-focused project, the team struggled throughout the three splits, finishing last in the first two splits and ninth in the Summer Split.
After a disappointing season, BDSA even
lost its spot in the league during the Up&Down tournament. This partnership with Vitality therefore, allows the Swiss organization to retain its position in France’s premier league, an ecosystem that remains notably unstable,
with the departures of GameWard and Gentle Mates, as well as ongoing
uncertainty regarding Esprit Shônen’s ability to sustain its promotion. For BDS, this also marks another major new chapter in the club’s history, following the
rebranding announced at the end of June for the conclusion of the 2025 season.
Not a First, but Unique
While this partnership represents a minor earthquake for the local scene, it is not the first instance within the European ecosystem of two teams—whether competing in the LEC or not—joining forces. At the end of 2023, LEC team Excel Esports merged with the Superliga club Giants to form GIANTX. Movistar KOI also originated from a merger between three clubs: Movistar Riders, MAD Lions, and KOI.
However, the distinctiveness of the BDS–Vitality partnership lies in the fact that it applies solely to the LFL, with both organizations remaining competitors at the higher tier, in the LEC. Indeed, in previous mergers, Excel Esports had already ceased operating an academy since the end of 2022, and Giants became an academy under the name GIANTX Pride. In the case of Movistar KOI, the three entities each maintained a team in the Superliga in 2022, before MAD Lions withdrew in 2023, the year shared by KOI and Rogue. Since the 2024 merger, only one team represents the three former entities, under the name KOI Fénix.
