LEC Spring and Summer Split Finals venues announced

The 2020 LEC season took off earlier this Friday, with 10 of the best European League of Legends team entering the Summoner's Rift to show off their strength in the opening fixtures in the 2020 Spring Split. Despite the fact that the split has barely begun, Riot Games already announced the venues for both Spring and Summer Split Finals, which will see LEC teams head to Budapest and Malmö.

Riot Games, the developer and publisher of League of Legends unveiled the dates and locations for LEC Spring and Summer Split Finals earlier this Friday, January 24. As revealed, the Spring Finals are set to be held in Budapest, Hungary, between April 25-26, while Summer Split Finals are set to move to Malmö, Sweden (August 23-30).

The 2020 LEC Spring Split will kick off this Friday, January 24, and conclude almost two months later on March 21, 2020, when the final fixture of the regular season will be played. The first split of the season will be divided into nine competitive weeks, each with 10 fixtures, meaning we are in for 90 exciting fixtures featuring only the best of the best European LoL scene has to offer.

Following the last fixture of the split, which will see Fnatic take on Vitality on March 21, at 21:00 CET, the final standings of the league will be unveiled, displaying which six teams will advance into the Spring Split playoffs and which four will hope for better luck in the next split.

The playoffs will feature top four teams from the regular season compete in the winners' bracket, while the fifth and sixth team duke it out in the losers' bracket, meaning the playoffs will be played in a double-elimination format, which is a change compared to 2019 season. All fixtures, including the grand finals, will be played as best-of-five (Bo5), which was the case in all previous iterations of LEC and LCS EU. The winners of LEC Spring Split will also earn a spot at MSI Main Event.

As mentioned, the Spring Split Playoffs will be played in the capital of Hungary – Budapest for the first time in history. The announcement read:

"We’re so excited to be taking the LEC to Hungary for the first time with this season’s Spring Finals in Budapest. Not only is Budapest one of the most picturesque cities in the continent, it’s a vibrant center for the growing esports community in Hungary and throughout Eastern Europe. We’re proud to be a part of this developing market and to bring live League of Legends esports to fans in a new country." 

The Summer Split Playoffs will use the same format as Spring Split and will be played at Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden. Unlike the MSI ticket which will be awarded to the champions of Spring Split, the winners of LEC Summer Split will earn a direct promotion to 2020 World Championship, which is set to take place in China later this year.

"Malmö is home to multiple gaming and production studios and over the last couple of years countless commercial successes and indie titles have emerged from the city. With a strong and supportive local gaming community, the City of Malmö has invested deeply in the scene from educational initiatives to creative hubs, and is continuously focused on developing the environment for gaming. As a next step in this direction, Malmö is proud to host the League of Legends European Championships Summer 2020, and we can’t wait to show you what we have planned."

In the announcement, Ann Nyström, the destination manager of City of Malmö stated:

"Malmö is a young and vibrant city and gaming is quickly becoming rooted in the backbone of our city. We are excited to host the LEC 2020 Summer together with Riot Games. It is an important step for us in becoming the best gaming city in Europe."

Last year Malmö already hosted other massive esports events such as CS:GO DreamHack Masters Malmö 2019.