Los Ratones have become the subject of extreme controversy among the partner organizations of the League of Legends EMEA Championships (LEC) due to Riot’s transparent attempts to “crowbar” the hugely popular streamer team into next year’s format.

It’s clear that Riot wants to leverage the popularity of Los Ratones to boost viewership and engagement around the league, but are they sacrificing the long-term health of the LEC to do so?

New Format, New Controversy

While it’s not yet confirmed, next year’s EMEA circuit is expected to open with the LEC 2026 Winter Cup, featuring two non-franchised teams: Los Ratones, the best-performing tier-two team this season, and the EMEA Masters champion—an ongoing tournament that Los Ratones is still in contention to win.

It’s clear this criterion was created to guarantee Los Ratones’ inclusion, a format that is unlikely to exist without them. After the Winter Cup, the LEC will return to its regular ten-team format for spring and summer, with the two temporary participants dropping back to tier-two play.

Special Treatment For Los Ratones

The LEC is a franchised league, and there is understandable umbrage among team owners who paid tens of millions for the exclusive rights to compete at the top level of EMEA League of Legends. Riot is essentially granting a slot, albeit a temporary one, to a team that hasn’t paid the entry fee.

This is especially galling to Karmine Corp (KC) and Movistar KOI (MKOI), two teams that walked a similar path to Los Ratones but ultimately had to purchase permanent slots in the LEC. KC owner Kamel “Kameto” Kebir has been on the warpath ever since this proposed format became a reality.

Kebir insisted that LEC team owners opposed the format in meetings with Riot, adding that the company’s initial proposal was “egregious” and “far worse” than the leaked version. Despite the furor, Riot appears determined to proceed, risking irreparable damage to its relationship with partnered teams.

Lightning In A Bottle

Riot seems willing to strain these relationships because its esports division likely wants to capitalize on Los Ratones’ popularity. The team’s openness to stream scrims and meetings has offered fans a rare inside look at how a tier-two professional squad operates, fostering a strong bond with their audience.

For example, say Los Ratones have had a tough day of scrims followed by a tense game review where emotions run high. Later, a viewer moves on to watch one of the player’s solo queue streams, where there’s an agitated atmosphere—and the player might even mention how rough practice was.

Parasociality Sells

In this case, the viewer can empathize with the player, feeling a more profound connection after witnessing those raw moments firsthand. It’s a classic case of parasocial attachment, which is precisely the kind of connection that sells in today’s influencer-driven entertainment world.

Apart from a few exceptions, esports fans often root for personalities over teams—and Los Ratones embodies that. Viewers tune in to see Marc “Caedrel” Lamont, Simon “Baus” Hofverberg, Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek, and the rest of the team. Without them, fans would stop watching EMEA.

Caedrel’s Audience Is Very Important To Riot

Los Ratones’ popularity, coupled with Lamont’s status as the game’s largest English-speaking co-streamer (see stats below), has almost forced Riot’s hand. On stream, Lamont has voiced frustration that franchising has artificially stunted the team’s potential, preventing them from competing at a higher level.

There was even speculation that Los Ratones would skip the EMEA Masters Summer to bootcamp in Korea. That never happened, and one might reasonably conclude that Riot intervened, perhaps alluding to the proposed LEC format changes to influence Lamont’s decision.

Metric	Caedrel	Riot Games	EMEA Masters
Rank	#4	#28	—
Hours Streamed	2,057	149	24
Average Viewers	46,849	33,433	5,102
Peak Viewers	287,937	108,846	32,449
Hours Watched	96.4M	4.99M	124K
Period		January 1 to October 16, 2025

Source: Twitch Tracker

There’s also a growing sense that Los Ratones will disband after a year of competing in tier-two events because there was nothing left to win. After all, there’s an opportunity cost for Lamont and the players, even if some of those involved have had their popularity bolstered by the team’s existence.

It would be a tragedy for the most exciting thing European League of Legends has seen in years to disappear overnight. Riot has temporarily prevented that by strong-arming its partners—or subordinates.

Riot’s Philosophy Has Changed

Riot has employed these tactics because regional League of Legends esports is stagnating, if not outright declining. The peak viewership of the LEC hasn’t grown significantly in years, and the League of Legends player base (i.e., the pool of potential viewers) is aging.

Additionally, a large share of viewers now watch the LEC directly through Lamont’s stream, further entangling Los Ratones and the future of the EMEA scene. There’s also a sense that Riot’s perspective on the Western ecosystem has changed in response to broader global economic pressures.

Riot used to throw money at loss-making projects, such as Riot Forge, but that changed last year when the company laid off 10% of its staff. Now, Riot seems to be trying to “save” Western League of Legends through initiatives like the disastrous LCS and CBLOL merger (which will be reverted next year).

It’s only been a few years since Kameto and MKOI owner Ibai Llanos Garatea purchased slots in the LEC, but Riot’s outlook appears to have changed significantly since. Like KC and MKOI, Los Ratones are a massive organic movement, and Riot doesn’t want to let an opportunity slip through its fingers.

Heavy-Handed Tactics

The Winter Cup is likely the first step in making Lamont’s team a permanent member of the league, using all available means from Riot and the LEC. However, there’s no doubt the powers-that-be have approached the issue with too little regard for the LEC’s existing partners.

We’ve already seen Riot’s willingness to buy back and lease “guest” slots to teams. If Riot were to purchase one of the LEC slots, then it could simply be given to Los Ratones without incurring controversy.

Even a rebate for each team’s initial buy-in, offered as compensation for allowing two non-franchised teams to compete for a split, could ease tensions. Instead, Riot appears to be acting with impunity—and team owners will not forget the browbeating they’ve suffered at the hands of their so-called partner.

Los Ratones’ inclusion in the Winter Cup is objectively beneficial, but Riot’s unilateral move risks devaluing LEC slots. Who will invest if decisions can shift so easily? It’s the most significant development in European League of Legends since franchising was implemented in 2019, and the fallout will be immense.

FAQs

How much do LEC slots cost?

This information isn’t publicly available, but Team Heretics reportedly purchased the Misfits Gaming slot for around $34–36 million in 2022, though the slot is certainly worth less now.

Why don't Los Ratones purchase a slot in the LEC?

Lamont said paying $20 million for a slot in the current economic landscape of esports would be “f*cking stupid” and he will never do it.

What happens if Los Ratones win the EMEA Masters Main Event?

The second slot in the Winter Cup will reportedly be awarded to the runner-up of the EMEA Masters Main Event, should Los Ratones win.

What happens if an LEC Academy wins the EMEA Masters Main Event?

The leaked format doesn’t specify what will happen in this case, even though this scenario is likely to occur.

References

1. Twitch Stats and Rankings for Channels, Games and Streams (TwitchTracker)