With Karmine Corp Blue winning the EMEA Masters Finals over Los Heretics 3–0, they’ve officially qualified for LEC Versus 2026, which replaces the LEC Winter Split. That means we now know all 12 teams that will compete in the inaugural LEC Versus split.
The teams
While there are only two new additions to the first split of 2026, they’re both major ones. Here’s the full list of all 12 teams:
- Fnatic
- G2 Esports
- GIANTX
- Karmine Corp
- MKOI
- Natus Vincere
- SK Gaming
- Team BDS
- Team Heretics
- Team Vitality
- Los Ratones (New – top-performing ERL team)
- Karmine Corp Blue (New – EMEA Masters Summer winner)
The addition of Los Ratones has been widely discussed within the community, as some team owners reportedly feel it devalues their investment in franchising, given that teams can now enter the LEC without spending massive amounts of money.
As esports-news previously reported, the LEC teams did not agree to Los Ratones joining the league, but Riot Games decided independently to invite them.
A new format
The LEC Winter Split has been replaced by LEC Versus – a new format introduced specifically for the first split of 2026.
Instead of 10 teams, there will now be 12. The teams will compete in a single round-robin Bo1 stage, meaning each team will face every other team once. The top eight teams from this stage will advance to the playoffs.
The playoff format will feature a double-elimination bracket, with rounds 1 and 2 played as Bo3 series. After that, all matches will be Bo5. The champion of LEC Versus will earn the EMEA region’s sole spot at First Stand, the first international event of 2026.
