Riot Games has announced major changes to the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC), confirming that GameWaves will temporarily lead league operations in 2026.

GameWaves, the tournament organiser behind the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) ERL Road of Legends, will work together with local tournament organisers, who will continue running domestic leagues in their regions.

The update comes after League ApS, the previous operator of the NLC, shut down in early April 2026. The Danish esports company, which managed the league for the UK, Ireland and Nordic regions, laid off all employees after informing Riot Games two months earlier that it could no longer operate the competition.

As per the official details, the latest changes are part of Riot’s long-term plan to move the NLC towards a more decentralised structure focused on national competitions and local ecosystems. The company says the European Regional League (ERL) system has shown “increasing benefits of the decentralised model”. Because of this, Riot plans to split the NLC into two competitive regions in the future: one for the UK and Ireland, and another for the Nordic countries.

During 2026, both competitions will still operate under the NLC name as part of a transition year. From 2027 onwards, they will become two separate regional leagues. Teams from both regions will still have a path to qualify for EMEA Masters.

In a statement, GameWaves said its main goal for the 2026 Spring Split is to bring stability back to the NLC after recent problems around the league. The company acknowledged that fans and teams are skeptical about the future of the competition, but said it wants to provide a strong experience for players, teams and viewers during the transition period.

Riot said more information about the 2026 Summer Split and how the new system will work long-term will be shared towards the end of June.

Subscribe to On The Radar, a weekly wrap up of esports business stories, and the fortnightly Heat Map, a deeper dive into the stories across esports business and culture.

Follow The Esports Radar on social media: