Movistar Riders, North, Rogue and SK Gaming To Join EU LCS For 2019
By Zac Cameron ·
The European League of Legends Championship Series is gearing up for the introduction of franchising, with new teams taking the place of old familiar ones.
A report from ESPN has revealed that the European League of Legends Championship Series will look quite a bit different next season, with five new teams entering the league as Riot Games introduces Franchising to the region. While the familiar teams of Fnatic, G2 Esports, Misfits, Schalke 04 Esports and Team Vitality will remain, and continue to grow from their time in the league, new organizations are rumored to be confirmed to the league include Movistar Riders, North, Rogue and SK Gaming.
One of the new teams joining the EU LCS next season has already been highly publicized, with Astralis making the leap to League of Legends with help from popular Danish caster Martin "Deficio" Lynge. An announcement is scheduled for later this week on the landscape of the EU LCS, however according to ESPN, some setbacks in negotiations surrounding team participation agreements may force Riot Games to delay their reveal. While unlikely, these setbacks could also threaten the position of the relevant teams in the league and may force Riot Games to tap secondary teams from the franchising application process to take their place.
What this does mean for fans of the EU LCS is that Splyce, ROCCAT, the Unicorns of Love, Giants Gaming, and H2K will not be present in the 2019 season.