Riot Games revealed its plans to change the broadcast schedules of the leagues in its League of Legends esports ecosystem on 15th December. As a result, the League of Legends EMEA [Europe, Middle East, and Africa] Championship (LEC) will be played on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and move away from the usual two-day schedule. Additionally, the games are set to begin at 6 pm CET. Starting next year, the LEC will also feature three splits starting with the LEC 2023 Winter Split. Following this, teams will play the usual Spring and Summer splits and the LEC Season Finals will be the culmination of the league’s competitive year. The LEC revealed the schedules for the first two weeks of the LEC 2023 Winter Split. 

Here’s all you need to know about the LEC 2023 Winter Split.

A guide to LEC 2023 Winter Split

The LEC 2023 Winter Season is the first split of the newly merged EMEA League of Legends system. This is the fifth year of the LEC and the first season following the changed format. The Winter split will feature three different stages. Stage 1 will see all ten teams competing in a best-of-one (BO1), single round-robin setup. Meanwhile, the top eight teams will advance to Stage 2, a double elimination group stage. From here, the top four will make it to Stage 3, the double-elimination playoffs. Stages 2 and 3 will feature best-of-threes and fives.

The same format will continue for the Spring and Summer splits, and the top six teams from across the season will fight for the championship in a double elimination bracket and for qualification to Worlds 2023 during the LEC Season Finals.

Format

Stage 1 (Regular season)

• 10 teams participate

• Single Round Robin

• Matches are best of one

• The top eight teams advance to Stage 2

Stage 2 (Groups)

• Eight teams participate

• Teams will be split into two groups of four

• Double-elimination bracket

• Matches are best-of-three (BO3)

• Top two of each group advance to Stage 3

Stage 3 (Playoffs)

• Four teams participate

• Double-elimination bracket

• Matches are best-of-five (BO5)

LEC 2023 Winter Split: Teams and standings

Schedule for LEC's Winter Split

The LEC Winter Split 2023 is kicking off on 21st January 2023 and will feature intense League of Legends action. The times mentioned in the table are in CET and are subject to change.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Where to watch

Fans can watch the LEC 2023 Winter Split live on the official LEC channel on Twitch once the league kicks off on 21st January 2023. You can also check out the games as video on demand (VODs) on the LoL Esports VODs and Highlights channel.