All you should know about the new LoL Americas Challengers

Riot just announced Americas Challengers as its official third international event for League of Legends.

The esports division of League of Legends had a lot of ups and downs in 2024. Riot’s esports focus shifting to Valorant, several DDoS attacks against its top team, and LEC commentator Trevor “Quickshot” Henry’s unexpected exit are among the stumbles for 2024. However, League of Legends esports still boasts high viewership numbers, and Riot has no plans of abandoning it anytime soon. Earlier in 2024, reports of a third international tournament made the rounds. Riot then finally teases an announcement for the League of Legends esports schedule in June.

Finally, Riot officially announced the League of Legends Americas Challengers as its newest tier two event.

Teams and schedule for League of Legends Americas Challengers

The Americas Challengers schedule will begin on September 14, 2024, and features top teams from various regional playoffs.

Groups will run from September 14 to 16, Knockouts from September 18 to 20, and the finals on September 21. The top teams from various regional playoffs will decide the Americas Challengers. The top teams from each of the following organizations will make their international debut at Americas Challengers.

• North American Challengers League Summer Playoffs
• CBLOL Academy Split 2 Playoffs
• Latin America Northern Regional League
• Latin America Southern Regional League

There will be two teams from the NACL and CBLOL Academy split, while only one team each will qualify from the LRN and LRS, for a total of six teams. The Americas Challengers aim to promote cross-regional Tier 2 competition and heighten the stakes for those top teams.

The new Challengers event is not the reported third International event for League of Legends esports.  Riot confirmed the unnamed global tournament will span all regions, with initial rounds held regionally. Meanwhile, the Americas Challengers is solely focused on the Americas and features iconic teams from the region.

What is the format and prize pool for League of Legends Americas Challengers?

The Americas Challengers will feature a round-robin group stage and a double-elimination playoff format with a $75,000 prize pool.

The event will start with a single round-robin best-of-one group stage. After that, the top four teams proceed to a double-elimination Knockout Stage before leading into the finals. Reactions to the format have generally geared towards the positive. Fans particularly look forward to the competition it may inspire in North American teams, especially in Brazil. Fans compared the new format to EMEA Masters, a beloved tournament amongst the community. Riot likely hopes the Americasn tournament will live up to those comparisons.

If Americas Challengers proves successful, Riot may expand the tournament’s team count and opt for even more exciting formats. Fortunately for fans, the Americas Challengers is only a few months away. Despite some stumbles, Riot wants the League of Legends esports division to flourish and hasn’t stopped finding ways to innovate. For example, the event will take place in the CBLOL Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Americas Challengers is a teaser of what’s to come for 2025, and if it succeeds, then there’s no doubt next year will be exciting for League of Legends esports fans.