Riot Games removes prize pools from regional LoL esports events

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 09/01/2026

Riot Games has revealed it is removing prize money from League of Legends esports tournaments in its major regions.

The game publisher has revealed more about the MOBA’s esport season following on from the recent Riot Games LoL dev blog.

EMEA’s LEC, North America’s LCS, South Korea’s LCK, and potentially China’s LPL will not give out any prize money in 2026.

Instead, Riot claims the money will be invested in other areas to “better support the future of our sport.”

However, Riot states that prize pools for Brazil’s CBLOL and Asia-Pacific’s LCP will not be affected due to their different partnership models.

Meanwhile, the publisher claims it is modernising its financial structure as the regional prize money wasn’t substantial enough for players:

“Over time, the sums contributed to regional prize pools resulted in comparatively small payouts for individual players, while the total investment across leagues has grown into a meaningful amount, one that can more effectively support long-term ecosystem development when used more strategically.”

This shift reflects both our confidence in the maturity of the global ecosystem and our commitment to evolving the way we invest in the sport,” Riot added.

Meanwhile, prize pools for international LoL esports events—First Stand, MSI, and Worlds—will still be funded by the Global Revenue Pool (GRP).

The GRP was created back in 2024, pooling together digital LoL esports revenue and originally districuted amongst teams in three ways:

• General Shares: 50% of the GRP goes into General Shares and is allocated to Tier 1 teams. 
• Competitive Shares: 35% of the GRP flows into the Competitive bucket, allocating shares based on competitive performance (regionally and internationally.
• Fandom Shares: The remaining 15% of the GRP goes into Fandom Shares, rewarding teams for developing strong fandom for their players, leagues, and team brands. 

Gen.G CEO criticises the removal of LCK prize pools

CEO of LCK team Gen.G, Arnold Hur, has criticised Riot’s decision on his Twitter page.

Gen.G have won multiple LCK titles and two MSI trophies but have failed to win a LoL World Championship despite being favourites the last two years.

Reacting to the news that the LCK won’t have prize money this year, Hur said:

“Unfortunate to see prize pools being removed from LCK.

“As publishers push esports toward profitability, some will focus on creating new revenue streams, others on cutting costs.

“Teams will live or die by whether they can predict which cycle they are in.”

One of LoL’s most storied organisations Royal Never Give Up just quit the esport after financial and legal troubles.

Hur commended Riot for making good moves for sustainability and claimed that “needed radical change brings understandably too much risk for a publisher.”

“At this point, most teams have given up asking for more. All we want is more freedom to monetise,” he added.

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

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