Going into the next season of LoL, the League of Legends Japan League (LJL) will no longer have its own spot at Worlds and MSI. Let’s see why.

Image Credit: Riot Games

The PCS LoL Esports ecosystem expands to include LJL

Riot Games confirmed that starting in 2024, the LJL will be part of the PCS esports circuit. This marks the second year in a row the PCS gets an additional league, following the addition of League of Legends Circuit Oceania (LCO) at the start of this year. “This evolution is part of our multi-year strategy to strengthen the League esports ecosystem in the Asia Pacific region,” explained Riot in a post on X. While it’s unclear what changes will be made to the format going forward, Riot mentioned they will have more updates in the future.

The reasons behind such changes

Riot is hoping to create a unified league that can become a powerhouse in the global LoL esports ecosystem. By incorporating more regions, Riot is hoping to improve the quality of all pro teams and further increase the level of competition. Additionally, this will allow the organizers to add high-quality broadcast products in various languages (English, Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese) and create more local experience.

This will also increase the cross-regional matches as teams from the LJL and LCO will be able to go up against the PCS teams and that the LJL players will no longer be considered imports in the PCS circuit (the rule of up to two imports per team still applies).

The top three from the LJL will go to the PCS playoffs

While the format is not decided yet, we know that the LJL will continue to have its own domestic season. The top 3 teams will head to the PCS playoffs, joining the top 6 PCS teams and the top 2 from the LCO, with a total of 11 teams. It will also be divided into two stages, with three top seeds placed directly into Stage 2.

The winner of the PCS Spring Split will go to MSI while the top two from Summer will qualify at Worlds 2023.

Read more: Rogue returns to LEC in 2024