LEC welcomes live audience for Summer split

The League of Legends European Championship has announced the return of live audiences for the impending Summer split. It will be the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that the league will have in-studio fans.

The decision was made following the successful return of a limited live audience during the Spring split finals. The decision also comes with the announcement that all matches and teams will play on stage, as opposed to alternating stage time due to safety concerns.

LEC welcomes back live audiences

The announcement that live audiences would return to the LEC was made via on Twitter on June 9. The tweet also included a link for ticket sales.

The move marks the first time the LEC studio in Berlin will have a full studio audience since 2020. The LEC returns on June 17 with a three-day ‘superweek’ opening weekend. MAD Lions and Team Vitality are scheduled to contest the opening match of the split. Each of the three days will feature five matches.

 

The summer split will see the 10 LEC teams battle it out for three places at Worlds 2022, due to be held in North America in October. G2 enter as the defending champions from Spring and will look to become back-to-back champions for the fifth time. However, they will face stiff competition from the likes of Fnatic, Team Vitality and Rogue.

Tickets for the LEC cost 12 euros and are sold on a single-day basis. With no weekend pass available, diehard fans who wish to see the entire opening weekend must purchase individual tickets for all three days. Individuals can purchase up to four tickets for any given day. While no major health restrictions have been announced for the event, fans will be required to wear a face-covering when not eating or drinking.

In-person events around the world return

The trend follows that of many leagues around the world. Most recently, Riot officially allowed an audience for the Mid-Season Invitational in Busan, South Korea. The most notable exception amongst the major regions is China’s League of Legends Pro League. The Shanghai-based LPL must be content with a strict lockdown that has been in place since late 2021. The strict regulations prevented Royal Never Give Up from attending MSI in person, forcing the eventual champions to compete in the tournament from their headquarters in Shanghai.

Fans don’t have much longer to wait and will be eagerly filling the LEC studio in Berlin when the LEC kicks off on the evening of June 17.

Header: A. Savin, LEC