Riot Games announced the eight teams that are competing in the new and improved Latin American League (LLA) set to start in 2019 based in Santiago, Chile.
Early this year, Riot Games announced that for 2019 the Latin America North League (LLN) and the Latin America South Cup (CSL) would be merging into a single league. The developer opened the application process for any organisation in the continent, out of hundreds of candidates, Riot games announced the final eight.
These teams are receiving incentives from Riot Games to relocate to Chile where the entirety of the league is taking place. The exact format of the league and whether or not relegations are still happening remains unclear.
ALL KNIGHTS
All Knights are the only new organisation that made the final cut. Based in Chile, the team shares owners with the multinational chain of department stores Falabella and TV channel Mega. The community reacted negatively to the new organisation and questioned if it would be at the level of the new league.
At the moment of this report, All Knights don’t have accounts of any kind in social media nor a logo.
FURIOUS GAMING
Argentinian organisation funded in 2013, Furious Gaming is one of the most consistent teams in Latin America. Furious is constantly present in multiple events and has a strong following on the continent.
The best result for the team has been second place at the CLS 2017 Opening Playoffs.
INFINITY ESPORTS
A relatively new organisation –funded in 2016-, Infinity eSports recently represented Latin America North in the 2018 World Championship Play-in stage. The team made it out of groups after defeating Edward Gaming from China and Dire Wolves from Oceania. Infinity was eliminated after losing against G2 on a close series.
Originally based in Costa Rica, the team is moving down south looking to continue its dominance.
ISURUS GAMING
Another team from the CSL joining the new league. Isurus was the first team in South America to host a Korean boot camp for its League of Legends squad. The organisation has a strong presence in different games and tournaments on the continent.
Isurus Gaming won first place at the CLS 2017 Opening Playoffs.
KAOS LATIN GAMERS
The most popular team in the CSL is back to defend its place as the king in the south. Kaos Latin Gamers has been a dominant team in the CSL but struggled to find similar success in the international stage. The organisation recently finished its run at the 2018 World Championship, the team went back home with a score of 0-4.
PIXEL ESPORTS CLUB
Owned by the equity crowdfunding platform Play Business, Pixel qualified for the LLN through the LLN 2018 Closing Promotion. This young organisation got a place at the new league thanks to their young spirit and a new perspective. In the Closing Season, Pixel finished seventh but for the New Year, the team promises to be a better version of themselves.
PREDATORS ESPORTS
From Costa Rica, Predators Esports took the LLN by storm in 2017. Always present in the playoffs, this team is one of the favourites for the upcoming LLA. Predators are backed by a Korean investment group and Mexican athlete Juan “Apache” René Serrano.
RAINBOW7
Ten times champion at the LLN, Rainbow7 was taken down by Infinity eSports at the semi-finals. The organisation missed the
World Championship for the first time in 2018. Now in Chile, the team is looking to get back to its glorious days. The question remains if Rainbow7 will be able to keep its roster full of Latin American stars.
The teams are already moving to Chile with help from Riot Games. The Inaugural season of the LLA is set to start in January 2019.
Esports Insider says: The LLA is coming to Latin America surrounded by controversy and a high level of rejection from the fans. The community is not happy about the merging of the regions and it shows in the dropping viewership numbers. Latin America fans are not forgiving and leaving some of the fan favourite organisations out of the league will cost Riot.