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The road to LEC starts here: the EMEA Masters 2026 Spring Play-In kicked off June 8, with 16 hungry teams fighting for main event spots. 🔥 This is where the next generation of EU pros proves they belong, one Bo1 at a time.
EMEA Masters is the premier regional League of Legends tournament in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The best semi-pro teams from the EMEA Regional Leagues (ERLs) compete here, one rung below the LEC. France, Germany, Spain, Turkey, MENA, the whole EMEA scene sends its best.
The 2026 Spring edition features 28 qualified teams. Only 4 Play-In spots open up for teams hoping to crash the main event, so every single match counts.
Tournament format:
Source: Liquipedia / Riot Games
12 teams earned direct entry to the main event. Heavyweights include Solary, G2 NORD, Los Heretics, Eintracht Spandau, UCAM Esports Club, and Misa Esports.
The other 16 are battling through the Play-In. Karmine Corp Blue (KCB), the French kings with multiple EMEA Masters titles on their résumé, headline this group. Alongside them: E WIE EINFACH, Olympiacos Alimou, NightBirds, and Verdant, all with the firepower to advance.
With LoL Patch 26.11 bringing a tank support meta, expect Leona, Nautilus, and Thresh to dominate picks in these Bo1 matches. Draft errors are fatal when there's no game two to recover.
All 8 Round 1 matches played out on June 8. Here are the results:
KCB opened their run with a clean win over Partizan Sangal. Verdant got a free pass after FN Esports forfeited. The 8 losers drop to the Low Bracket but are still alive, needing to claw back to 1-1.
All Round 1 losers face each other in Round 2 the same day, while the 8 winners clash in the High Bracket. 📈 Momentum matters early in a Swiss format.
The Play-In runs until June 20, with new rounds each day. Any team hitting 3 wins advances to the Qualification Round (Bo3 series). The top performers from there punch their tickets to the Main Event Group Stage.
Keep tabs on the meta teams are building around using our LoL meta page. And if you missed last week's LEC action, catch up with LoL Playoffs Week: G2, LYON, KT for the full picture of what Europe's top pros ran.
EMEA Masters is proof that the ranked grind translates to pro play. Every player on that stage started where you are: grinding ranked, looking for an edge. If you want to compete for real, join the LoL ladders on Amber.gg. Real entry fees, real prize pools, the same competitive pressure. Your ladder starts now.
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