Shifts in the League of Legends Landscape: Exiting Teams and the Emergence of the Americas League

With the landscape of League of Legends esports evolving, significant changes are on the horizon. The upcoming merger of the LCS with CBLOL and LLA to create a new multi-regional Americas League, likely to feature both North and South conferences, has prompted shifts within the existing teams, leading to the exit of two organizations from the competitive scene.

The departure of Immortals is not particularly shocking. The squad has encountered difficulties in the last few seasons, not succeeding to make a notable impact in the league. Given their ongoing challenges, combined with the financial resources that more dominant organizations are investing, it seems reasonable for them to seize this moment to exit. While their absence marks the loss of a long-standing competitor, enduring continued mediocrity isn’t a sustainable strategy in the current competitive environment.

The exit of NRG, however, comes as a considerable surprise to many. Having just made a comeback by taking over CLG's position in 2023, they quickly secured the LCS championship and reached one of North America's most impressive performances in an international tournament. Departing the scene so soon after such achievements raises eyebrows and sparks questions about the team's future direction.

This leaves us with a reshaped lineup of six North American organizations participating in the merger: Cloud9, Dignitas, FlyQuest, Shopify Rebellion, Team Liquid, and other organizations 100 Thieves. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that 100 Thieves might be contemplating their own exit as they navigate a restructuring phase and potentially explore selling their franchise slot.

As these developments unfold, it's important to approach the information with some skepticism. The official confirmation regarding the participating teams for 2025 will only come from Riot Games, and until then, speculation will continue to swirl in the esports community.