League of Legends Game Changers Launches New Women's League in EMEA

"The future is so bright! We can’t wait for you to join us for our region’s official women’s League of Legends competition."

Riot Games is officially introducing the League of Legends Game Changers (LGC) to EMEA, the region's new women's competition for LoL. The new league's inaugural tournament will fly under the 'LGC Rising' banner, and will take off in August 2025 with the start of the first Open Qualifier!

LGC Rising: Everything We Know

With several details still being finalized, LGC Rising, the very first League of Legends Game Changers tournament held by Riot, will kick off this year with the August Open Qualifiers. In order to ensure a comfortable start to the new league, the first stages of LGC Rising will feature online play.

That is, until the Grand Finals come about. The grand conclusion to LGC Rising will see the final two remaining teams head to Paris, France, for a live match on stage to decide the first League of Legends Game Changers Champions. These finals will take place on October 30th at none other than Paris Games Week, one of Europe's largest gaming events.

Here's what the tournament as a whole is expected to look like:

Teams

• Three teams affiliated to LEC organizations will be invited
• Three Equal Esports Cup finalists will be invited
• Two teams will qualify through the Open Qualifier
• Total of eight teams

Format

• Group Stage:
  • Eight teams divided into two groups
  • Single round-robin
  • Bo1 matches
  • Top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs
• Playoffs:
  • Double-elimination bracket
  • Bo5 matches

Schedule and Key Dates

• Open Qualifier: August (exact dates TBD)
• Group Stage: September 13th–14th, 20th–21th, 27th–29th
• Playoffs: October 10th–12th and 14th–15th
• Grand Final: October 30th, live on stage at Paris Games Week

Make sure to follow the LGC journey through the LoLEsports website, or keep up to date with all of the league's latest updates on the official LEC social media platforms.

Game Changers is coming to League of Legends with the start of LGC Rising in August! (Credit: Riot Games)

The Goal of League of Legends Game Changers

With the success observed by Riot Games in the VALORANT Game Changers scene, the game's women's competition which has been running for over three years, the time has come to introduce the same idea to League of Legends in EMEA.

The LGC aims to create a safe environment where anyone is welcome to compete in the game that they love, and one which will go hand in hand with other local initiative for women's League of Legends such as the Equal Esports Cup, rather than replace them. This way, Riot plans to allow LGC to grow and develop alongside the community, providing more opportunities for everyone involved!

Follow Strafe Esports for all the latest League news and our X account for the latest content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to Strafe YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured image credit: Riot Games

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