Riot Games has partnered with events and broadcasting company 4Entertainment to create national League of Legends leagues for the Netherlands and Belgium.
Although Riot Games still considers the Benelux as one region, Belgium and the Netherlands will have their own separate leagues, complete with €25,000 (£21.361.35) prize pools.
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Team applications for the Spring split end on December 4th, with the opening week of competition taking place on January 20th, 2020. Teams will compete across eight weeks, with the top four teams progressing to fight for the championship and €7,500 (£6,409.51). The winner of each split will receive a place into the play-in tournament of the European Masters.
Both the Belgian League and Dutch League will host six teams for their inaugural seasons, expanding to at least eight in following seasons. The leagues will be broadcast in their native languages.
After each split has concluded, a national final will take place with an additional €10,000 (£8,466.10) in prize money up for grabs.
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Damien Ricci – Head of Esports France & Benelux at Riot Games discussed the leagues in a release: “We look to deliver thrilling esports experiences through a sustainable ecosystem for teams and fans. These two new leagues will represent the highest level of competition of their respective countries and will help structure the Benelux esports ecosystem by bringing more regularity and a framework for teams to level up.
“The leagues will follow the calendar of our international competitions and will give fans the opportunity to consume regular content about local teams and local emerging talents. 4Entertainment’s experience and expertise will help us ensure the success of the leagues in terms of image and the quality of content delivered to our community.”
Esports Insider says: The creation of these leagues is another step forward in creating a legit national infrastructure in League of Legends esports. Riot Games is pushing hard to create such leagues, with Premier Tour expanding to became the official DACH league in 2020.