The LLA, Latin America’s professional league, loses All Knights before the start of the second split as it withdraws from the competition.

All Knights made the decision voluntarily to leave the LLA

The official announcement came through a post by Riot Games, stating that All Knights approached them to discuss their future in the league. Due to internal reasons, the esports organization made the decision to withdraw from the competition, reducing the number of teams in the league from 7 to 6.

Based on the statement released by Riot Games, the organizer confirmed the league won’t replace the departing organization with a new squad. With that in mind, the LLA Closing phase, the second split of the season, will only field six teams with a revised competitive format.

LLA drops from 8 to 6 teams in less than half a year

All Knight’s departure marks the 2nd team to leave the competition this year, following Team Aze’s exit before the start of the spring. That said, the organization made it clear through its own public statement that the club is not closing down: “Although our League of Legends team will not participate in the league, the club won’t close and we are proud of what we have achieved and built. We move forward with a different competitive vision, led by new opportunities and we trust that we will continue building from the values that have always characterized us, from Chile for the world.”

Comunicado Oficial #LLA pic.twitter.com/WsDz90bng5

— All Knights (@allknightsla) April 30, 2024

Nonetheless, this is yet another hit to the competitive ecosystem in the League of Legends esports scene. Minor regions have struggled to produce strong results internationally and some of the regions worldwide, such as LJL and LCO, were incorporated into other regions. For now, however, LLA will continue to have its own seed during international tournaments.

The LLA representative Estral Esports will be trying to show the region’s worth at the Mid-Season Invitational, which is beginning today with the play-in stage.