The Europe vs. North America Rift Rivals Tournament in Full Swing
The Europe vs. North America Rift Rivals tournament is currently taking place at Riot’s LCS Battle Arena in Los Angeles.
This year, three teams from each region will compete against each other in a round robin format. On the final day of the event, there will be a relay-race-style knockout series to determine the last team standing. The winning team will be known as the “best in the west” and their region will claim the Rift Rivals trophy. Last year, the NA LCS emerged as the victors in the tournament’s debut.
This year’s Rift Rivals tournament between EU and NA is different from last year’s. Here is a viewer’s guide to help you understand all the details.
Stream
The Rift Rivals tournament, like the NA and EU LCS, is being streamed on Riot Games’ official Twitch channel.
Teams
There are three teams from each region competing in this tournament. Representing the EU LCS are Fnatic, G2 Esports, and Splyce, while Team Liquid, Echo Fox, and 100 Thieves are representing NA.
Schedule
The round robin group stage takes place on July 5 and July 6, starting at 2:30pm CT on both days. The relay race knockout stage is on Saturday, July 7, also at 2:30pm CT. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes before the official broadcast time.
System
During the group stage, each team will play against all teams from the opposing region once. Following the group stage, the relay race begins, where each team will compete in at least one best-of-five match to determine the winning region.
The strongest teams from the group stage have the opportunity to counter-pick their opponents. However, for the final two games, each region’s teams will be selected simultaneously with no chance of countering.
The region that emerges victorious will be crowned as the best. While Worlds and MSI may have more importance, there is still a lot at stake, including bragging rights and a trophy.