League of Legends launches French esports competition for women

Riot Games has announced the Nova Series: Prélude, a tournament for women in League of Legends meant to increase inclusive and competitive opportunities for women and marginalized genders in France and the greater European ecosystem. This series stands as a continuation of Riot’s commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout its esports ecosystem, building off the success of previous regional initiatives, such as LGC Rising.

Nova Series Prélude Tournament details

Image Credits: Riot Games

The Nova Series: Prélude will take place from November 8 through December 6, 2025. The tournament will kick off with two online qualifiers, followed by the Grand Final held live in Paris. The tournament features an overall prize pool of €10,000, making it one of the larger women’s League of Legends events in the area this year.

The two qualifiers (held on November 8 – 9 and November 15 – 16) will each host up to 32 teams in a Swiss Stage format. The top two teams from each qualifier will secure a spot in the playoffs, and the top two teams from the playoffs will move on to the main event taking place on November 23.

The last stage will employ a single-elimination, best-of-three semifinals and best-of-five Grand Final on 6 December. The event is produced by ZQSD Productions, a French company well-known for producing local esports tournaments and live sports events.

Building inclusiveness in LoL esports

Image Credits: Riot Games

The Nova Series is part of a wider commitment from Riot Games to develop sustainable and inclusive pathways for women in esports. The Nova Series complements programs such as LGC Rising, which is a pathway for women into the official women’s competition circuit for EMEA, launched earlier in 2025. Nova Series has the aim of identifying emerging talent, building competition in the region, and highlighting women’s participation in professional play.

This is part of Riot’s commitment to fostering dedicated environments to enable the next generation of talent to gain valuable experience in a professional environment. The inclusion of a LAN competition in Paris demonstrates that commitment, allowing the participants a chance to compete on stage and in front of a live audience, with coverage.

An advancement for female esports in Europe

The Nova Series: Prélude is not simply a tournament, but a conviction to prioritize creating structured, competitive opportunities for women who play League of Legends. The format, prize pool, and professional organization center on growth and long-term aspiration within the French and all of Europe’s esports communities.