The EU LCS is changing its name to LEC and adding 10 franchised teams

The EU LCS is no more. Instead, the highest level of European League will now be called the League of Legends European Championship — or LEC. Along with the new branding, Riot is also collecting the LEC organizations and franchising 10 of them, just like the company did with the NA LCS last year.

The 10 teams that will be competing in the league will be:

• Fnatic
• Schalke 04
• G2 Esports
• Misfits Gaming
• Origen
• Excel Esports
• Rogue
• SK Gaming
• Splyce
• Team Vitality

While most of the 10 teams that have been franchised for the LEC will be familiar to fans that have watched the EU LCS over the last five years, there are two new teams: Excel Esports and Rogue.

This brand new name for the freshly franchised league will help set it apart from the NA LCS, giving both regions a more clear and distinct international identity. Along with a new logo, which looks like two halves of a broken crown coming together, the LEC also has a completely new and unique art style that came along with it’s announcement.

Riot Games

Just like the EU LCS last year, the LEC will continue to host its games out of Berlin in the usual studio. The LEC will also be getting a few new additions to the on-air broadcast team — as many of the broadcasters fans know have moved to freelance rather than official Riot positions, their participation in the LEC remains unclear, but fairly likely — but there is no official word on who that will mean just yet. The newly re-branded LEC season will kick off on Jan. 18, 2019.