Riot Games decided to please its fans and will shut down the LTA and bring back the LCS and CBLOL for 2026. The company’s decision came just a few days before the beginning of Worlds 2025 and it definitely shocked fans. Here’s what you need to know.
Riot Games Shuts Down the LTA
The LTA was introduced in 2025 to merge South and North America into one competitive structure. The idea was to have cross-conference matches, and it worked up to a point, but fans were not happy.
Riot thought that this move would make the matches more interesting and that it would bring long-term sustainability. While there were some improvements, overall, fans were not happy with the changes. Many criticised the region by saying it is overly complex and too compressed. The constant complaints plus LCS and CBLOL nostalgia led to Riot’s decision to bring these two back.
The LTA’s Last Season
Also called the League of the Americas, the LTA 2025 had two divisions – LTA North for North America and LTA South America. The latter consisted of the CBLOL + LATAM teams, whereas the first one has the LCS core and a NACL Guest slot.
Although the league looked promising, it never really took off. LTA South was a bit more interesting to follow, but the north had a lot of issues. Many people did not like the cross-conference events and even stated that they no longer have the passion that they once had.
We also have to mention LTA North’s problems and the fact that 100 Thieves will exit the region after the end of the year. We believe that this also had an effect on Riot’s decision to bring back the LCS and CBLOL.
Speaking of the LTA, FlyQuest won the competition after an epic Grand Final against Cloud9. We saw 5 games full of action, but FQ was the better team and will head into Worlds 2025 as one of the favorites.
Closing Thoughts
2026 will be a very interesting year for League of Legends and it’s safe to say fans will be happy. Riot proved once again that it is listening to its fans because the latter will have the LCS and CBLOL once again.
