Ever since Riot Games introduced the Champions Queue server for top North American League of Legends players, high-level stars in the LEC have asked for their own version in Europe. Before the start of the 2023 LEC Winter Split, the company has announced that EMEA will get its own enhanced competitive server next week.
Current LEC players and other top-level prospects will get the chance to test their skills against the cream of the crop in their region. This invite-only system is exclusive to the best players in each region to ensure that the quality of every game played is at its highest.
Lobbies will be randomly created with the players at hand, so players from the EMEA Regional Leagues can team up or face off against the best players from the LEC throughout their time on the server. This server will also have its own LP system that will be tracked and unveiled to the public as the split rages forward.
Who can play in the EMEA Champions Queue?
For the first season of EMEA’s Champions Queue, Riot is allowing all starting players on LEC teams, along with substitute players on LEC rosters. To qualify for a spot, however, those players will need to be at least Grandmaster rank or higher from the previous or current League season.
Players from accredited ERL teams are also getting the nod, which will include regions like the LFL, Prime League, Superliga, TCL, and Ultraliga. Lastly, any players who competed in the LEC for at least one season will be allowed in the queue, granted they are at least Grandmaster rank or higher in the previous or current season.
To gain access, an EMEA Champions Queue player council will be created a few weeks after the server’s launch. The council will vote on who gets access to the server, along with other responsibilities like revoking access for disciplinary reasons, approving new players, and defining future criteria for qualification.
What is the Champions Queue schedule?
The EMEA Champions Queue will be played from January to August, starting alongside the kick off for the 2023 LEC Winter Season. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the server will open for four hours between 10pm to 2am CET/3pm to 7pm CT.
There will be five total splits that will last around a month each. Here are all of the dates around the Champions Queue’s start and end dates:
- Split one – Tuesday, Jan. 24 to Thursday, Feb. 23
- Split two – Saturday, Feb. 28 to Friday, March 31
- Mid-Season Invitational Split – TBD
- Split three – Tuesday, May 30 to Friday, June 30
- Split four – Tuesday, July 4 to Friday, Aug. 11
Amateurs and pros alike should prepare to apply for access in the coming days, and fans should get ready to check out some of the fun gameplay that will rise from the various teams built through Champions Queue this year.
