The neophytes who see the Chinese scene ( LPL ) and the Korean scene of League of Legends ( LCK ), may wonder why these two regions play a regional Qualifier (regional end) later Of the playoffs, when the split is supposed to end after the grand final… The answer is simple, these two regions have places for the Worlds and a last chance tournament allows to decide among the most regular teams of the year not yet classified To offer two additional entries.

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And while Europe has 4 quotas this year for the departure of the LCL, Why does our region not use the same process? The question deserves to ask, but we must know that in the past we also had This somewhat special tournament. Moreover, the most nostalgic regret it and want them to return as soon as possible.

What happened to the Qualifier regional in Europe?

The last time we saw a regional Qualifier in Europe was in 2019 . At that time, Schalke 04, Fnatic, Splyce and Origin fought for 2 seats (one in the play-in and another in the main event). Fnatic had won the tournament and Splyce had finished second. But it must also be taken into account that this regional final system was used from 2015 . There were even before, but the stage was structured in another way and these tournaments worked with a different logic.

For a long time, Riot Games gave places for Worlds to reward two specific criteria:

  • Stronger team just before Worlds (Summer Split final)
  • The most consistent team during the year (accumulation of Championship Points)

A third place was offered to the winner of the regional Qualifier , which allowed the two criteria to take into account. You had to be constant throughout the year to qualify for this last chance tournament, and then be the best at the right time. This somewhat hybrid logic caused the tournament to continue; It allowed telling a different story to make the latter bo5 spectacular.

In the past, teams like G2 , Fnatic U Origin have secured their place in Worlds using this route. The epic of origin was even more memorable since the team only reached the highest category of Europe in the Summer Split, having been promoted by the Challengers Series (ascent phase to the LCS) between spring and summer.

Why was this tournament canceled in Europe?

The regional finals continue to exist in Korea and China, but in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, they have been eliminated. This is not the first time that Riot Games changes his formats, but for once, it was mainly the teams that were at the origin of this choice. In the West, the players and the structures in general made it clear that the competitive seasons were long and exhausting, so the regional Qualifier required an additional energy expenditure.

Sometimes it was also difficult to remail after a great defeat in the Summer Split playoffs. Therefore, the organizers heard these complaints and, from that moment, the playoffs allowed to determine all the classified for the World . Some of the spectators regret this tournament, which offered even more games to continue, but we must recognize that the other fans got tired of seeing encounters already seen and reviewed during the year.