LEC Prepares for the 2023 Season Finals Tournament

This year the European League of Legends League, the LEC, ran three splits instead of the traditional two.

We saw some incredible competition throughout the year, watching the ten squads battle it out for the Winter, Spring, and Summer titles. Teams would earn points at the end of each split based on performance, with the top finishers receiving the most points.

Now with the 2023 League of Legends World Championships approaching, the Top 6 points earners this season will compete in a tournament for the right to represent EMEA and the LEC at Worlds.

• When: Saturday, August 19th – 10 AM ET
• Odds: MAD Lions (+165) vs. Excel Esports (-220)

The opening match of the finals will feature the MAD Lions taking on Excel Esports. The winner will earn a trip to Korea to participate in the League of Legends World Championships regardless of the results afterward. This is an interesting match-up, as both teams’ momentum peaked at different times.

MAD Lions started out the year on a high note after coming in 2nd place in Winter before taking the crown in Spring. Though they didn’t have the best showing at MSI, no one expected them to tumble all the way down to 7th in Summer.

If MAD Lions wants to be competitive, they’ll have to play much better than they did in Summer, as Excel Esports found a way to put the pieces together after struggling all year long to find any success.

Excel Esports finished in last place in both the Winter and Spring Splits before figuring it out in Summer and making a 2nd place run. Their incredible Summer single-handedly gave them the 4th seed in the Finals.

• When: Sunday, August 20th – 12 PM ET
• Odds: G2 Esports (-1100) vs. Team BDS (+600)

The other opening round match will see G2 Esports and Team BDS battle it out for a spot at Worlds 2023. G2 Esports enters this one as a heavy betting favorite, currently sitting at -1100.

This is for a good reason, as they were able to find the most points of any LEC after winning both the Winter and Summer Splits. Though their 4th place finish in Spring was disappointing, G2 has proven to be able to leave it in the past as they turn all their attention to their international aspirations.

Team BDS enters the Season Finals as the 3rd seed. They were very much the opposites of G2 Esports as their Winter and Summer Splits left much to be desired while they had a successful Spring, finishing that split in 2nd. They come into this one as heavy underdogs after ending the Summer in 5th though they shouldn’t be counted out.

In the Lower Bracket awaits Fnatic and SK Gaming, who came in 5th and 6th, respectively. Fnatic had a similar burst of success to Excel’s, ending Winter in 9th and Spring in 8th. Summer was a massive turnaround for them, climbing to 3rd place to keep their season alive in the Finals.

SK Gaming has stayed moderately consistent this season as they finished the Winter Split in 4th place before falling to 7th in the Spring. Their Summer was middle of the pack ending in 6th and giving fans little hope that there is more League of Legends in their future this season.

Still, their opponent will be coming off a loss, which SK Gaming hopes to capitalize off once they load onto the Rift.