Los Ratones will not return to European Regional Leagues after their upcoming stint in the LEC. Caedrel confirmed the team will end operations following the 2026 Winter Split, closing the book on one of the most successful tier-2 experiments in League of Legends history.
The team will compete in LEC Versus, the new Winter format that invites two EU Masters champions to play alongside the league’s 10 franchised organizations. After that single split, Los Ratones is done as a competitive roster.
This was always the plan. Caedrel has repeatedly stated the project was designed as a one-year run, not a permanent organization. Players joined under that understanding. The team even hesitated to compete in their third EU Masters tournament before Riot convinced them to participate due to their massive impact on viewership.
Los Ratones dominated the tier-2 scene during their brief existence. They won multiple EU Masters titles while playing in the Northern League of Legends Championship. Their matches regularly drew larger audiences than other ERLs combined, bringing unprecedented attention to the developmental ecosystem.
Caedrel mentioned that the reason Los Ratones would not stay in the LEC permanently is the money. A franchised LEC slot costs roughly 20m euros, and requires an existing team willing to sell. Los Ratones doesn’t have that kind of capital, and Caedrel has been clear he won’t accept sponsorship deals that compromise his control over the project.
Riot can’t simply grant them a free permanent spot without violating existing franchise agreements. The LEC Versus format offers a compromise, giving tier-2 champions a brief taste of the top league without disrupting the franchise structure.
Caedrel has also mentioned that streamer teams don’t work well in traditional league formats. The long seasons make content repetitive and drain the novelty that made Los Ratones special. A tournament circuit would suit them better, but that’s not how League’s competitive structure operates.
Player futures remain uncertain. Thebausffs will almost certainly return to full-time streaming, where his off-meta solo queue content thrives. He recently joined T1 as a content creator. Nemesis likely follows a similar path, given his established streaming career and large audience.
Rekkles represents the biggest question mark. The former Fnatic star role-swapped to support for Los Ratones after stints with multiple organizations. Whether he pursues another competitive opportunity or pivots fully to content creation remains unclear.
Crownie and Velja are the most likely to seek LEC contracts. Both performed well throughout the project and could attract interest from franchised teams looking for proven talent.
The real winners
The ERLs will feel Los Ratones’ absence immediately. NLC viewership spiked dramatically during their run, and EU Masters finals featuring the team drew massive audiences. That attention disappears when they do.
But Riot’s experiment with integrating tier-2 champions into the LEC might outlast Los Ratones themselves. Future EU Masters winners could rotate through similar Winter formats, creating ongoing connections between developmental and franchised leagues. The question is whether any team can match the star power and content appeal that made this project work.
