While the major leagues are heading to playoffs and MSI, European Regional Leagues are getting ready for EU Masters 2022 Spring. Most ERLs are currently determining who is representing them for this incredible competition, let’s have a look at what Riot announced for this year and which teams are participating.
Before having a closer look at the format, let us introduce you to the EU Masters as a whole. Europe has regional leagues all over the continent, helping communities build their own leagues with stronger bonds. A few teams from each league gather at EU Masters after their playoffs, creating an international competitive environment for them.
EU Masters 2022 Spring format
28 teams will be participating in EU Masters, and 12 of them will be directly qualified. 16 teams will play EU Masters Play-In, and four of those will qualify for the Main Event. The Play-In will start on April 4, and end on April 7. Following that, the Main Event will start on April 14.
The group stage at EU Masters Main Event will follow a double round-robin format, where top two from each group will advance to the knockout stage. On May 7, we will witness the finals of EU Masters 2022 Spring, and one team will be crowned king of the European Regional Leagues.
EU Masters 2022 will be sponsored by Amazon once again, making its name Amazon European Masters. KitKat, Secretlab and Warner Music are also among the other list of sponsors.
You can find a basic breakdown of the schedule and slots for each league below:
Schedule
Play-In: April 4-7
Main Event Group Stage: April 14-24
Quarterfinals: April 28 - May 1
Semifinals: May 3-4
Grand Final: May 7
Slots for each league:
LFL (France): 2 Play-In, 2 Main Event
Ultraliga (Poland): 2 Play-In, 2 Main Event
Prime League (DACH): 1 Play-In, 2 Main Event
Superliga (Spain): 1 Play-In, 2 Main Event
NLC (Northern Europe): 1 Play-In, 1 Main Event
EBL (Balkans): 1 Play-In, 1 Main Event
PG Nationals (Italy): 1 Play-In, 1 Main Event
GLL (Greece and Cyprus): 1 Play-In, 1 Main Event
LPLOL (Portugal): 2 Play-In
Hitpoint Masters (Czech Republic and Slovakia): 2 Play-In
Elite Series (Benelux): 2 Play-In
Last year, EU Masters was won by French representatives Karmine Corp twice. Karmine Corp won their own league LFL in Spring and were second-place in Summer, but still won both EU Masters events.
Participating teams
Let’s have a look at the teams that will come or might come from strong regions.
LFL has seen a strong LDLC OL this year. With both LDLC OL and Karmine Corp guaranteeing at least playing the playoffs, you could say that French teams are coming in strong as always. Just like last year, KC is one of the favourites for winning EUM, but it’s not easy, even with Rekkles in your roster.
Prime League’s finals will be played this Sunday, where either regular season #2 Eintracht Spandau or #1 GamerLegion will win the league. They will be represented by Unicorns of Love Sexy Edition and BIG in the Play-In of EU Masters. Both GamerLegion and Eintracht Spandau have strong rosters, but although they finished the season behind GL, EINS were able to defeat them 3-0 during Round 2. Expect a strong Prime League presence at EUM this season.
Of course, SuperLiga is one of the contenders as always. Although a Spanish team couldn’t win an EUM since MAD Lions in 2018, SL are one of the powerhouses in ERLs. Barça eSports and Fnatic TQ finished the regular season the highest, and while FNC has some known players like MAXI or Bean, both teams consist of players that have very little LEC experience. They have the potential to become the dark horse this year.
Lastly, Poland’s UltraLiga. EUM 2020 Summer winner AGO ROGUE once again finished the regular season in first place, and they are heading to the playoffs with confidence. UltraLiga’s strong teams also consist of players from regional leagues. However, having a coach like Blumigan should definitely affect AGO ROGUE’s chances at EU Masters.
While it isn’t certain which teams are going to be able to perform well at EUM, we can expect Karmine Corp and LDLC OL to be the favourites. They will be followed by Fnatic TQ who had a great 2021, AGO ROGUE and GamerLegion/Eintracht Spandau. However, one or two teams always exceed expectations at EU Masters, so closely watch the games to find out which team that could be!
And if you do, you can watch the games and place your bets on your favourites on Luckbox.
