LoL Game Changers begins May 30 with five monthly stages, playoffs in October

The League of Legends Game Changers: Rising (LGC)—the official EMEA competition open to players who identify as women—returns on May 30 with a six-month, multi-stage format.

Across the first five months, monthly three-day “cups” will award a combined €8,750 in cash prizes—excluding any potential playoffs prizing—as well as championship points, with teams competing to secure one of six spots in the culminating playoffs in October. There, two additional teams will join them: the champions of the Equal Esports Cup and the Nova Series.

Following its inaugural 2025 edition—which spanned roughly a month of competition—LGC returns in 2026 under the stewardship of N.E.O. with a reimagined format. This new iteration expands across several months and places a stronger emphasis on creating opportunities for new teams to emerge within the scene.

In line with that vision, the traditional group stage has been replaced by five open “Stages,” inspired by open tour-style tournaments. Each Stage allows up to 32 teams to freely sign up, competing for both championship points and prize money. A total of €1,750 will be awarded per Stage, distributed among the top three teams (€1,000 for 1st, €500 for 2nd, €250 for 3rd), contributing to an overall €8,750 prize pool across the five Stages.

Each Stage will take place over three days, with the first running from May 30 to June 2, and all following the same structure:

Reflecting its community-driven approach, N.E.O. also plans to support grassroots visibility during the early phases of the competition. Each Stage will feature community broadcasts, alongside open co-streaming opportunities for participating teams. Those interested can apply via email at [email protected].

At the conclusion of all five Stages, eight teams will converge for the LGC Playoffs—the final stage of the 2026 season, which will crown the competition’s second champions. Six of those teams will qualify through championship points earned during the Stages, while the remaining two spots will be awarded to the champions of Germany’s Equal Esports Cup and France’s Nova Series. This approach reinforces LGC’s ambition to act as a complementary pillar within the women’s scene, working hand in hand with existing competitions.

This approach, however, may raise a potential issue should a non-binary player qualify via the EEC—currently the only competition in the scene to allow their participation—while LGC explicitly does not, as outlined in its eligibility rules:

As reported by Sheep Esports, multiple teams have already assembled rosters and are preparing to compete in the upcoming LGC season, as well as in adjacent competitions. Among the most prominent names, G2 Hel will return in 2026, aiming to go one step further after falling to Eterna last year—a team that has since disbanded, but has recently hinted at a potential comeback.

Elsewhere, Mental Rush—an organization that has invested heavily in recruiting several high-profile players—will be looking to establish itself within the scene in 2026 and challenge more established contenders.

Last but not least, both Vitality Rising Bees and SK Avarosa will also return this year, aiming to secure silverware for their respective LEC organizations and further cement themselves as forces to be reckoned with.

Though less publicized, several other rosters have already formed. These include Circus Kittens, currently competing in the Prime League 2nd Division, as well as influencer-driven squads such as Rift Baddies featuring Antonella "Aloonea" Maria Tarantino, and PCS Athena, among others.

Teams can already sign up for the competition via Toornament. More information will be shared in the coming weeks as the 2026 season approaches, with updates expected across official channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and via the competition’s Discord server.