LCL Spring Season 2022 is officially cancelled

The spring split season of League of Legends Continental League 2022 has been suspended after being put on hold for a month due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The LCL was placed on hold on February 14, the third week of the league, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The league has been officially canceled, and the competing team will not have the opportunity to represent the LCL at Mid-Season Invitational. Unicorn of Love’s head coach, Fabian Mallant, expressed his disappointment in a tweet. Unicorn of Love has dominated the LCL, representing the league in four international league competitions in a row.

 

“After discussions with the licensee, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the League of Legends Continental League Spring Split”, said the tournament operator GIG.ME, responsible for the LCL Spring 2022. 

The decision could be upsetting to league fans around the world but it wasn’t the first time a major league was forced to leave its spot at the Mid-Season Invitational. The Vietnam Championship Series was also forced to forfeit their place at MSI last year due to the Covid-19 regulation.

With four consecutive wins in the group stages, One Breath gaming and Team Spirit were undefeated. They were tied for the top place after 16 matches and two weeks of LCK action. This isn’t the first league to be impacted by the ongoing “Russia-Ukraine” crisis, and given current geopolitical circumstances, it’s unlikely to be the last.

Esports Scenario is changing in Europe amid war crisis

Following Russia’s invasion, the Dota Pro Circuit Spring Tour has been postponed. The Russian language broadcast of GAMERS GALAXY: Dota 2 Invitational Series Dubai 2022 has also been halted when WePlay Esports, a Ukrainian esports organizer, cut ties with Russian and Belarusian organizations.

ESL has also banned Virtus.Pro and Gambit Gaming, citing “apparent ties” to the Russian government as a reason for the ban. The participants were, however, permitted to partake in the competition under a “Neutral name”. Players of Gambit Gaming competed in the VCT Challenger as “M3 Champions” and in the Apex Legends Global Series EMEA as “Players.”

The vast majority of players of VCT EMEA and LCL this season are Russian or Ukrainian. Other esports tournaments have banned or expelled Russian teams and individuals, but Riot has yet to announce its position on Russian teams competing in VALORANT and LoL events.