MAD Lions are the first team to qualify for LEC 2022 Summer playoffs

The race for the 2022 LEC summer playoffs is one of the tightest in the history of the European league, as nine of the ten teams in the LEC have a chance to qualify for the playoffs with just one week left to play on the schedule. Today, MAD Lions became the first team in the league to qualify for a playoff berth with a record of 10-5. 

Each team in the league, apart from Team BDS, is in the hunt for a playoff berth moving into the final weekend of the Summer Split. 

MAD Lions currently hold first place in the league, but that could change next week, as eight teams (including MAD Lions) are in contention for the top seed in the LEC playoffs with three games left to play. The only playoff-eligible team that cannot qualify for the top seed in the playoffs is SK Gaming, who barely held onto their playoff hopes with a record of 6-9. 

Although MAD Lions have locked in a playoff spot and currently sit in first place in the LEC, their place atop the standings is not set in stone. Should they lose all three of their final games, MAD Lions could potentially fall as low as the sixth place on the LEC table.

Related: Armut renews MAD Lions contract until 2024

Last season, MAD Lions won the LEC Summer Split after finishing the regular season in third place. This year, the team has a chance to lock up the first seed in the playoffs. First, they’ll have to get through G2 Esports, Astralis, and Team BDS, all of whom they play next week, to close out the Summer Split schedule. If the season ended today, MAD Lions would take on Rogue in the first round of the playoffs.