Riot Games decided to modernize the financial structure of the esports scene in League of Legends in 2026. The company shifted the investment strategy, so let’s learn everything you need to know.
Major Financial Overhaul for League of Legends Esports in 2026
Perhaps the biggest update that League of Legends fans should be aware of is related to the removal of split prize pools for certain leagues. To be precise, these will be the leagues included in the Global Revenue Pool. In other words, this should affect the big leagues like the LCS, LCK and LEC.
The primary objective of redirecting funds into the new system is to support specific areas of esports development. With that said, not all regions will be affected by the new changes because CBLOL and LCP will remain in the current system.
The good news is that these changes will affect regional splits, not the international tournaments. The latter will continue to feature a dedicated prize pool funded by the GRP.
Why did Riot Make this Move?
One of the reasons why Riot Games wanted to make these changes is to boost LoL’s professional prize pool. Even though League of Legends is one of the most competitive esports, the game’s overall prize pools have not been that high. The stats show that all events had rewards of close to $14.9M, which is a lot lower than the one for Dota 2 ($22.4M). The statistics for CS2 are even more impressive – $ 30.9 million.
It will be very interesting to see what’s going to happen and how this decision will change the prize pools. Currently, professional LoL players do not earn as much as those who focus on other games, but this could change in the future.
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