The 2023 LEC season is about to begin, with the all-new Winter Split due to begin on January 21, kicking off a new year for the LEC - complete with a rebranding and the introduction of a third split for the first time in LEC history.

LEC Winter 2023 start date and team rosters

The 2023 LEC season will feature three splits, rather than the usual two - with the introduction of the Winter Split to begin the year in style. The third split comes alongside a rebranding of the LEC, which has renamed itself from the League of Legends European Championship to its new title of League of Legends EMEA Championships. Thankfully, the acronym has stayed the same.

The format for the Winter Split is new too. Running from January 21 to February 26, LEC Winter 2023 will feature LEC's new in-split format. The split will take place in three stages: stage one will see ten teams competing in a single round robin group stage, with the top eight advancing to the next stage.

After that, stage two will feature a double-elimination stage, from which four teams will advance to the third stage, the double elimination playoffs.

The ultimate winner of the Winter Split will receive an invitation to the LEC 2023 Finals, alongside the LEC Spring and Summer Winners. The rest of the LEC 2023 Finals slots will be decided by the top three teams in terms of championship points.

You can follow along with every match in the LEC Winter Split, as well as everything else in professional League of Legends play, right here on Luckbox. You can see the upcoming match schedule right here. Just remember to sign up to claim your free 100% bonus before it all kicks off!

A total of ten teams are due to take part in LEC Winter 2023, the rosters of which are as follows.

Introducing the new era of competition in EMEA! #EMEA23

▶️ https://t.co/zg9oLx4gm1 pic.twitter.com/9j10vVuh8D
— LEC (@LEC) November 18, 2022

LEC Winter 2023 team rosters

KOI

Mathias "Szygenda" Jensen (Top laner), Kim "Malrang" Geun-seong (Jungler), Emil "Larssen" Larsson (Mid laner), Markos "Comp" Stamkopoulos (Bot laner) and Adrian "Trymbi" Trybus (Support).

Mad Lions

Kim "Chasy" Dong-hyeon (Top laner), Javier "Elyoya" Prades (Jungler), Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer (Mid laner), Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság (Bot laner) and Zdravets "Hylissang" Galabov (Support).

SK Gaming

Joel "Irrelevant" Scharoll (Top laner), Mark "Markoon" van Woensel (Jungler), Daniel "Sertuss" Gamani (Mid laner), Thomas "Exakick" Foucou (Bot laner) and Mads "Doss" Schwartz (Support).

Team BDS

Adam "Adam" Maanane (Top laner), Théo "Sheo" Borile (Jungler), Ilias "NUCLEARINT" Bizriken (Mid laner), Juš "Crownshot" Marušič (Bot laner) and Labros "Labrov" Papoutsakis (Support).

Team Heretics

Shunsuke "Evi" Murase (Top laner), Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski (Jungler), Lee "Ruby" Sol-min (Mid laner), Jakob "Jackspektra" Kepple (Bot laner) and Mertai "Mersa" Sari (Support).

Team Vitality

Kyeong "Photon" Gyu-tae (Top laner), Zhou "Bo" Yangbo (Jungler), Luka "Perkz" Perković (Mid laner), Matúš "Neon" Jakubčík (Bot laner) and Norman "Kaiser" Kaiser (Support).

There's not long to wait before the Winter Split begins, with the opening matches taking place on January 21. It's looking to be an exciting year for the LEC, with more splits (and therefore more matches) than ever before. So make sure you don't miss a moment by signing up now to follow along right here on Luckbox!

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LEC Winter 2023: Everything you need to know