Speaking as the 2026 LEC season concluded with its Grand Finals in Nice, Commissioner Artem Bykov confirmed that LEC Versus, the format that pitted Tier 1 sides against Tier 2 challengers, will not feature in the 2027 calendar. The initiative was one of several ambitious additions this year, alongside an expanded roadtrip schedule and a revised Summer Split structure.
Bykov described LEC Versus as a successful experiment rather than a permanent fixture. “LEC Versus was an experiment that showed what a Tier 1 and Tier 2 competition could look like. It paved the way for competitions such as the EWC qualifier,” he said, adding that Riot now wants “to let third-party tournament organisers explore the Tier 1 and Tier 2 space.”
The 2026 season featured six roadtrips in total, including the Nice finale, and Bykov pointed to the expanded live-event calendar and the reworked Summer Split as among the year’s biggest wins, citing positive feedback from teams, players and fans. However, he acknowledged that increasing the number of events created scheduling issues, particularly complaints from teams over imbalanced fixtures during Spring. “That is one of the areas we want to improve next year,” he said, noting that Riot has already discussed the matter with pro teams ahead of future roadtrip and split scheduling.
On viewership, figures from Esports Charts showed the 2026 Summer Split down 23% compared with the 2025 edition. Bykov attributed part of the drop to the increase in show days, up from 66 to 75 this year, which spreads matches more thinly across the season. “When you increase the number of matches throughout the year, the spikes matter less, and that affects average viewership,” he explained, adding that this outcome had been anticipated. He also noted the league has already broken its record for total hours watched, with the lower bracket final and Grand Final still to come at the time of the interview, and said Riot would carry out a fuller viewership analysis once the season wraps up.
Co-streaming remained a significant talking point, with creators such as Marc “Caedrel” Lamont and Kamel “Kameto” Kebir pulling large English- and French-speaking audiences away from the official broadcast. Bykov called it a deliberate investment rather than a trend Riot intends to reverse. “Co-streaming has been a big bet for the LEC over the past few years,” he said, acknowledging the added complexity of managing dozens of channels compared with just a handful, and admitting “there is a degree of dependence on the creators themselves.” Even so, he maintained Riot is “happy with how it is going” given fan appetite for creator-led coverage.
Player conduct also drew scrutiny this season, with MKOI’s Joseph Joon “Jojopyun” Pyun fined and Shifters’ Ilias “nuc” Bizriken and Team Heretics’ Han “Way” Gil both warned over their behaviour. Bykov admitted the line on acceptable trash talk is difficult to draw across a region with varying cultural norms, singling out the LEC’s Madrid event as a turning point that prompted Riot to reconsider its approach to player conduct, a shift already partly reflected in how nuc’s case was handled at the end of the regular season.
Looking ahead to 2027, Bykov did not detail further changes beyond the end of LEC Versus, but confirmed that expanding roadtrips will remain a top priority, arguing that competing in front of large, passionate crowds better prepares European teams for international competition.
