The following rules is a translation of the official ruleset and they apply exclusively to Prime League Contenders, which is Leagues 2-8, the Starter League and the playoffs between League 2 and League 8. In case of a discrepancy between the official ruleset and this one, the official ruleset always prevails.
Important links:
Index
- General
- League Structure & Format
- Composition of Teams
- Protests & Questions
- Schedule & Match procedure
- Before the Match
- During the Match
- Fraud Attempts
- Penalties for Rule Violations
Appendix: Glossary
General
League
The Prime League is a League of Legends league organised by Riot Games and Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH and serves to entertain and promote the League of Legends scene in the German-speaking (DACH) region.
Players and Teams
Any natural person who has a legal League of Legends account with level 75 or higher on EU West is entitled to participate in the league and is hereinafter referred to as a ‘player’ if they play with the League of Legends account registered on www.primeleague.gg. An association of at least five (5) players is required to participate in the league and is hereinafter referred to as a ‘team’.
A team is eligible to play if at least three (3) of five (5) players used in a game are so-called ‘Locally Trained Representatives’ (LTR). A player is considered an LTR if at least one of the following conditions is met:
- The player currently has their residence in the DACH region.
- The player holds the nationality of either country of the DACH region.
- The player has played at least one (1) match or been part of a season lineup in two (2) of the previous three (3) Prime League seasons.
- The player has successfully verified themselves as female.
Players who are playing in the first division of the Prime League are excluded to participate.
Players who are playing in another so-called ‘EMEA Regional League’ (ERL) or ‘Professional Esports League’ at the same time, or who are no longer members of a team in such a league but have played in at least 50% of the corresponding split in one or more of these leagues, may only participate in the Prime League if they register for a team during the registration phase.
Corresponding splits:
- ERL/Pro Winter - Contenders Winter
- ERL/Pro Spring - Contenders Spring
- ERL/Pro Summer - Contenders Fall
Note: ERL only refers to division 1 of the respective leagues. ‘Professional Esports Leagues’ are leagues that can be used to qualify for the Worlds, such as the LEC or LCS.
Administration
Each natural person authorised by Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH to administer the Prime League based on its rules and regulations is hereinafter referred to as an ‘Admin’. The entirety of all admins is referred to as ‘Administration’.
Registration
Registration for a season in the Prime League is open for a certain period of time. Players can find information about the start of the season on our website. All teams without exception must register for a new season. This also applies to teams that played in the previous season. No new teams can join during an ongoing season.
Note: The registration process is explained in detail here.
Obligations
By participating in the Prime League, players recognise the rules without restriction and follow the instructions of the administration. The interpretation of the rules is at the sole discretion of the administration. Decisions may supersede the following rules if they are in keeping with the spirit of competition. All special cases not listed in these rules require individual examination by the administration. Measures may deviate from those listed here, but will always be taken in accordance with the principle of proportionality and conformity with the rest of the rules and regulations.
Each player recognises the right of Riot Games and Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH to adapt or change the rules at any time without Riot Games or Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH having to inform the players of the adaptations and/or changes.
Every player must show due respect to other players and the administration. Insults, unfair and/or disrespectful behaviour will not be tolerated and may result in immediate exclusion from the league. The respective match pages, lobby chat and in-game chat will be taken into account. The administration reserves the right to include incidents that take place outside these areas if a direct connection to league operations is established.
Every player must have the latest version of League of Legends installed and must ensure that they are aware of new updates in good time and install them on their system. Patching is not a valid reason to delay a game under normal circumstances.
By participating in the Prime League, the player confirms that they have reached the age required to play League of Legends in their country.
The administration reserves the right to change or delete offensive or insulting images, names or profile descriptions of teams and players without prior warning. This includes, but is not limited to, racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise discriminatory names, images or profile descriptions.
Data Protection Regulations
Every person who takes part in a Prime League game hereby agrees that player and team names as well as sound and image recordings made during the Prime League and in which the player is depicted may be used free of charge for publications on Riot Games and Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH websites, their social media channels and in the press. Riot Games and Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH are thus authorised to use, store and utilise the material without restriction in terms of time and place.
Every player is obliged to verify their League of Legends account with their GameSports account. A player is only authorised to play four (4) hours after successful verification - the calibration phase is excluded here. A change to the League of Legends account during an ongoing season must be requested and approved via Support-Ticket. The basic prerequisite for the approval of the change is that the currently verified League of Legends account is not blocked. The player is only authorised to play if the ingame name specified in the profile matches the account in the lobby. In the event of a name change, the ingame name can be updated independently in the User Centre via ‘YOUR PROFILE’.
The use of multiple GameSports accounts is prohibited. Furthermore, the transfer of GameSports accounts as well as the associated verified League of Legends accounts and the use of such transferred accounts in the context of matches in the Prime League is prohibited.
By participating in the Prime League, all players agree that their ingame name will be visible to third parties.
In order to avoid deception and fraud in competitions in which fairness and integrity in esports or cash and non-cash prizes are at stake, Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH has a legitimate interest (General Data Protection Regulation; Recital 47) in pseudonymising game accounts, such as the League of Legends account, and storing them for up to five (5) years after user account deletion.
Each team is responsible for its own logos, team names, profile descriptions, etc. The administration will only intervene if there is evidence of a registered brand name, licensed logos or proven copyright infringements as well as infringements in accordance with rule 1.5.6.
Communication
The primary communication platform for the Prime League is www.primeleague.gg.Other teams can be contacted using the comment function under the respective match.
If agreements are made between two (2) teams outside of the match comments, these must be noted and confirmed by both teams in the match comments. The administration reserves the right not to admit screenshots of conversations outside the match comments as evidence.
Activity
By registering for the Prime League, each team agrees to actively participate. In order not to keep other teams waiting unnecessarily on match days, each team must always be ready to play on the official match date.
If a team can no longer or no longer wants to participate in the league, the team leader is required to communicate this to the administration via Support-Ticket.
Any team that fails to appear for two (2) consecutive or a total of three (3) matches within the group stage on the official match date may be excluded from the current Prime League season by the administration. In the Starter League a team can already be excluded from the season after not showing up for one (1) match if the team was fully inactive in that match. If a team does not show up for a match during the calibration phase, the team may be disqualified during the calibration phase. The victories achieved in the calibration phase then have no influence on the classification for the group stage. However, participation in the season is still possible afterwards.
Each team is required to check the match of the opposing team on the previous match day in the event of a non-combat victory and to report inactive teams directly.
Any team that has been disqualified in the current season loses its entitlement to the successes already achieved on the team account. This means that the team will be classified in the Starter League when registering for the following season, unless it takes part in the calibration phase.
Prohibited Sponsorships
Teams may not be sponsored by brands or products that fit at least one of the following descriptions:
- Any other video games, video game developers or publishers
- Any game consoles
- Any esports or other video game tournaments, leagues or events
- Any other esports team, its owners, affiliates or partners
- Any prescription drugs
- Weapons, ammunition or weapon accessories
- Pornography or pornographic products
- Tobacco products or paraphernalia
- Betting or gambling operators (bookmakers and betting operators)
- Alcoholic products not considered to be beer or wine (including non-alcoholic beverages marketed by alcohol manufacturers) or other intoxicants whose sale or consumption is regulated by applicable law
- Sellers or marketplaces for virtual items that are known to be counterfeit or illegal
- Sellers or marketplaces for goods or services that violate the LoL Terms of Use
- Fantasy esports providers (including ‘daily fantasy’)
- Political campaigns or political action committees
- Charitable organisations that support certain religious or political positions or are not reputable (for example, the ‘Red Cross’ or other mainstream charities would be classified as reputable)
- Cryptocurrencies or other unregulated financial instruments or markets
- Companies offering trading in contracts for difference (CFD) or similar trading in margin products
- Beer and wine products
League Structure & Format
Calibration Phase
The first phase of a season is the registration phase. The calibration phase takes place at the end of the registration phase. Participation is optional and is primarily intended to help new teams to categorise themselves in a league at an early stage according to their strength.
Teams can at most enter the 5th league via the calibration phase. Teams that have already qualified for the 1st-5th league are excluded from participation.
The calibration phase will be held in Swiss format. Details on this format can be found here.
By participating in the calibration phase a team cannot be placed lower than the league, which has been reached in the previous season.
Group Stage
The second phase is the group stage. It is divided into different leagues to reflect the different skill levels. The highest division is the ‘1st League’, followed by the ‘2nd League’, ‘3rd League’ up to the ‘8th League’ and the ‘Starter League’. Each league consists of one or more groups that are of equal value within the league.
The achievements from the previous season and the calibration phase determine the distribution to the various leagues. Teams that were disqualified in the previous season or did not participate in the previous season and did not successfully participate in the calibration phase of the current season are placed in the Starter League.
In the group stage of the 3rd-8th league, each group consists of up to eight (8) teams. Groups are played in a round robin format, with all teams playing each other once in a two-game format.
Depending on the place at the end of the group stage, teams in the 2nd-8th division can achieve the following placings:
- Promotion to the next higher league
- Playoffs to the next higher league
- Remaining in the League
- Playoffs to the next lower league
- Relegation to the next league down
There can be no relegation from the 8th league. The exact distribution will be announced at the start of the season on the respective group pages.
The group stage of the Starter League is played in just one group in Swiss format with eight (8) rounds. Each team plays one match per round in the ‘Two Games’ format. Depending on the number of victories achieved, the teams are classified for the following season in different leagues, maximum 5th league, or in the playoffs of the current season, maximum playoffs of the 4th-5th league.
Playoffs
The third and final phase is the playoffs, which start after the group phase and are used to determine promotion and relegation to and from leagues. Participation in the playoffs is dependent on the results from the group stage. If a team that qualifies for the playoffs does not show up for the playoffs, the team will be relegated to the lower of the two leagues available.
The exact format of the individual playoffs will be announced on the league page.
Playoffs are only played between the 2nd-5th league.
The Playoffs between league 2 and 3 will be played in "Fearless Mode". The following rules apply to it:
Champions that get selected to be played in any game of a match become restricted from being selected again by any player for the remainder of a match, regardless of which side selected it.
Matches
In the regular group stage, a match consists of two (2) games. In the playoffs, a match consists of a best-of-one (Bo1), a best-of-three (Bo3) or a best-of-five (Bo5). The result is automatically entered after the match. If the result is not entered after a few minutes due to a technical fault, the administration must be contacted as soon as possible via Support-Ticket.
Each win of a match in the regular group stage corresponds to one (1) point in the ranking.
Ranking
The ranking in the group is calculated according to the points scored.
In the event of a tie, the following measures are taken to break the tie:
- Number of wins from tiebreaker matches
- Time score from tiebreaker matches
Tiebreaker matches are played at the end of the regular season and are only created in the event of a tie on points. This excludes ties that are irrelevant to the rest of the season and would not put the teams in different playoffs or leagues. Tiebreaker matches are played in a best-of-three (Bo3) in the event of a tie between exactly two (2) teams and in a best-of-one (Bo1) in all other cases. The administration may decide that further ties will be resolved by tiebreaker matches.
Examples
Example A: Two teams in the 5th league share 2nd and 3rd place. The 2nd place leads to the playoffs of the 4th - 5th league, the 3rd place means staying in the league. In this case, a Bo3 tiebreaker would have to be played.
Example B: Two teams in the 5th league share 3rd and 4th place. Both places mean the team stays in the league. No tiebreaker match is played here.
Example C: Three teams in the 5th division share 2nd, 3rd and 4th place. The 2nd place leads to the playoffs of the 4th - 5th division, the 3rd and 4th place mean staying in the division. A round of Bo1 tiebreakers would have to be played here.
In the event of another tie after the tiebreaker matches, a so-called time score is applied. For this purpose, the sum of the playing time of all tiebreaker wins is subtracted from the sum of the playing time of all losses. In the event of a forfeit victory, the match time is set at 15 minutes.
Example for a 3-way-tie
Time scoring:
In the event of another ‘3-way-tie’ (each team is 1-1), the time score applies.
Team A > Team B in 35 min
Team B > Team C in 42 min
Team C > Team A in 44 min
A team's time score is calculated as follows. The playing time of the lost game minus the playing time of the won game. In this example:
Team A = 44 - 35 = 9
Team B = 35 - 42 = -7
Team C = 42 - 44 = -2
The scoring would then be as follows:
1. team A
2. team C
3. team B
The winners must upload an informative screenshot to the match page.
Split Points in the 2nd League
Within the 2nd, 3rd and 4th leagues, teams collect so-called split points, which define the promotion possibilities to the 1st league after the summer season. Split points can be collected in the fall, spring and summer seasons. The distribution is as follows:
| Placement | Fall Split* | Spring Split | Summer Split |
|---|
| League 2, 1. Place | 160 | 240 | 320 |
| League 2, 2. Place | 120 | 180 | 240 |
| League 2, 3. Place | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| League 2, 4. Place | 80 | 120 | 160 |
| League 2, 5./6. Place | 60 | 90 | 120 |
| League 2, 7./8. Place | 50 | 75 | 100 |
| League 2, 9./10. Place | 36 | 54 | 72 |
| League 2, 11./12 Place | 30 | 45 | 60 |
| League 2, 13./14. Place | 16 | 24 | 32 |
| League 2, 15./16. Place | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| Upper Bracket Winner League 2-3 Playoffs | 8 | 12 | 16 |
| Lower Bracket Winner League 2-3 Playoffs | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| League 3, 1. Place | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| League 3, 2. Place | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| League 3, 3. Place | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| League 4, 1. Place | 1 | 2 | 3 |
For the 2nd league, the final ranking after the playoff stage of the respective season applies. For Leagues 3 and 4, the rankings after the end of the group stage apply.
In the event of a tie, tiebreaker matches must be played in accordance with Rule 2.5.3 for all placings within the group stage that award different numbers of championship points.
The seven (7) teams with the most split points after the Summer Split and the winner of the 2nd league Summer Split qualify for the season finals, from which two (2) teams qualify for the relegation playoffs to the 1st league. If the winner of the Summer Season is among the top seven (7) teams according to split points, the 8th team according to split points moves up.
In the event of a tie on points, the team that received more points in the Summer Split has the higher overall ranking. In the event of a further tie, the team with the higher ranking in the Spring Split will receive the higher overall ranking and the team with the higher ranking in the Fall Split will receive the higher overall ranking. If there is still a tie, tiebreaker matches will be played for the remaining placings. In the event of a tie between teams that have all qualified for the season finals, seeding in the season finals will be decided by lot.
Teams that have not qualified for at least league 2 after Summer Split are excluded from the participation of the relegation playoffs to the 1st league. The next best placed team will then get the spot.
Composition of Teams
Team Size
In order to participate in a Prime League season, at least five (5) players from a team must register for the season and thus be confirmed for the season line-up. A player may only confirm for one team at a time.
Teams that can no longer provide a line-up authorised to play in a current season can be removed from the current season by the administration. These teams then lose their entitlement to the achjevements already gained on the team account.
A team can have an eligible lineup if
- at least five (5) players of the team are eligible to participate in the season or
- can be increased to a minimum of five (5) players with the help of stand-in slots or
- all remaining matches can be played with the help of stand-ins.
In a season, a maximum of ten (10) players can be part of the season line-up at the same time.
Stand-Ins
A stand-in is a player who is not listed in the team's active line-up and is standing in for an active player. If the game has already started in accordance with rule 6.3.5, a stand-in is no longer permitted.
A maximum of two (2) stand-ins are allowed per match in a team.
Each team may use a stand-in up to a total of five (5) times during the group stage
.
Each team may use the same stand-in a maximum of two (2) times during the group stage
.
A player may only be used as a stand-in if he is not a confirmed player of a team in a higher league or in the same group. This applies in particular to the entire Starter League and implies that only players who are not registered in a Prime League roster can help out as stand-ins in the Starter League.
Stand-ins are not permitted in the calibration phase, the tiebreaker matches of the group stage or in the playoffs.
Roster Additions
Teams can add a total of four (4) players to the lineup after the end of the signup phase until the end of the group phase. Adding a player uses up one roster addition. Once the playoff stage begins, adding players is no longer permitted.
Player Transfer
A player can play for up to three (3) teams during a season
.
A player can only change the season line-up once during a season. This includes the registration phase
.
A player can only join a season lineup after the end of the fourth (4) match week if they were not previously a member of another season lineup
.
Note: The end of the fourth (4) match week in the Fall Split 2025/26 is: .
If a player accidentally joins a season line-up, the move can be cancelled if the administration is informed within 24 hours, the player has not played for the team in the meantime and has not joined another team. If a player has not played a match as a confirmed member of a team, the team's participation may also be withdrawn retrospectively.
Team Owner
A team belongs to the creator of the team account until it consists of five (5) or more players for the first time.
A team that at least once consisted of five (5) or more players belongs to the majority of the team. The right to manage a team lies with the team leader. However, should more than 50% of the team vote in favour of a new Team Leader, they will take over the team in which the Team Leader status will be transferred to the new person.
The following are entitled to vote:
- Players who have been on the team account for seven (7) days or more
- Players who have been in the team account for less than seven (7) days and have played at least one (1) match for the team since then
- Players who have been removed from the team account in the last seven (7) days
Players eligible to vote must submit a support ticket within seven (7) days of submitting the initial request. If not enough votes are received after the deadline, the request will be denied.
Team accounts may be passed on without further consultation with the administration. Please note that this is only permitted without consideration. A sale for money or other services is prohibited.
Organisations
Companies, clubs, clans or businesses can be registered as an organisation. This requires the team leader to register via support ticket and a check by the league administration. As much information as possible about the organisation and the Prime League account of a contact person must be provided. Circumstances must be specified and, upon request, substantiated which justify withdrawing the right to manage the team from the members.
Note: You can find more information on registering organisations in our Guide.
The administration reserves the right to register teams independently as an organisation. The contact person will then be determined and informed by the administration
.
If the status of organisation is reached, the team account no longer belongs to the creator or the majority of the team, but to the organisation
.
Passing on slots, both within an organisation and to another organisation, is only possible in consultation with the administration
.
For 2nd-8th leagues: An organisation may field a maximum of one (1) team per group and therefore organisations within a league may not field more teams than there are groups in that league. If an organisation exceeds the maximum number of teams allowed within a league at the beginning or during a season, teams must be removed from the organisation or placed in the next lower league until the maximum number of teams allowed is reached. If the number of teams in an organisation within a league is equal to the number of groups in that league, no team from that organisation may participate in the playoffs for that league.
The maximum number of teams from an organisation that may take part in the playoffs for a higher league is the number of places available in that league. If more teams from an organisation qualify for the playoffs for a higher league than the number of teams from this organisation that are allowed to participate, the organisation has the following options:
- The organisation will not cancel association with any team and will therefore withdraw as many teams from the playoffs as necessary. The next best teams from the groups of the withdrawn teams will then move up.
- The organisation will cancel association with as many teams as necessary.
- The organisation determines which teams it cancel association from in the event of more teams being promoted than permitted under the above rule.
The organisation must notify the administration of one of the above options at least 96 hours before the first playoff match via support ticket. If the organisation fails to meet the deadline, the administration will remove the organisation's teams from the playoffs at its own discretion.
The administration reserves the right to remove teams of an organisation from the playoffs for other reasons regardless of the decision of an organisation.
The administration reserves the right to apply rule 3.6.5 to teams that are not registered as an organisation but clearly belong to the same organisation.
Organisations that operate one (1) team in the 1st league have the option of defining one (1) team from the 3rd league or below as an academy team. Players who are officially registered for the team in the 1st league are eligible to play for the Academy team as long as neither of the following two conditions are met:
- Player has already played more than 50% of the current split for the team in the 1st league
- Player has already played a match for the team in the 1st league in the same calendar week
Current List of Academy Teams
The administration reserves the right to revoke the organisational status granted under Rule 3.6.1 if the circumstances that led to the recognition of the status have ceased to exist in whole or in part or have changed significantly, so that the conditions for granting the status are no longer met.
Protests & Questions
General
Any questions or protests about the league must be submitted via Support Ticket. The administration cannot be reached by any other means and will not answer any questions.
Protests regarding a match must be submitted via support ticket within . Protests submitted outside of this period may be rejected without review. The respective deadlines are:
- Regarding a match: 24 hours of the official end of the match
- Appeal regarding an individual sanction: One (1) week after submission of the sanction
- Appeal regarding an team sanction: 48 hours after submission of the sanction
- In any other case: Two (2) weeks after the respective incident(s)
Players are encouraged to include as much evidence as possible with their protest and to provide as much detail as possible. An upload function for uploading screenshots is available in every match. Uploads to external sites will not be accepted unless this is expressly requested or required by the administration.
In the event of a permanent or indefinite ban, an additional appeal for the ban to be lifted may be submitted one (1) year after this penalty was imposed. The administration must be provided with detailed reasons for the lifting of the ban. In particular, it must be clearly explained why the original reason for the ban no longer applies.
Example: In the case of a permanent ban due to discriminatory language, it would be expected that a clear explanation would be given as to why the behavior was wrong at the time, how the person has changed, and why such behavior can and will never happen again.
support tickets must be treated confidentially, the publication of support content of any kind is prohibited.
Burden of Proof
It is the responsibility of a team to provide sufficient and clear evidence for complaints. Complaints that are not clearly presented due to a lack of evidence may be rejected.
In the event of protests regarding the result, screenshots of all games must always be added to the support ticket
.
If one or more players turn up late or not at all for the game, this must be documented with a screenshot stating the current time
.
If a cheat is suspected, a replay of the game in question must be uploaded to the match page. Support tickets for a suspected cheat must describe the situation in detail
.
Schedule & Match Process
Group Stage
3rd-8th league: A matchday begins on Monday at midnight and ends on the Sunday after next at 11:59 pm. This means that a matchday lasts 14 days. The exact match schedule can be found on the tournament page.
Starter League: A matchday begins on Tuesday at midnight and ends on Sunday at 11:59 pm. This means that a match day lasts six (6) days. The respective Monday is used to check protests and to create the next round. The exact match schedule can be found on the tournament page
.
Each match has a so-called alternative date. This is only the official match date if neither team attempts to find an alternative match date via the ‘scheduling tool’ in accordance with rules 5.1.6 and 5.1.7 or if an alternative match date is not agreed and this is not reported via support ticket in accordance with rule 5.1.10 at least 48 hours before the alternative date.
In the 3rd league, the alternative date is valid until both teams have explicitly agreed on a new date or the administration has set a new date.
The alternative date within the group stage is always Sunday at 3 pm for the 6th-8th league and the Starter League and Sunday at 5 pm for the 3rd-5th league in the respective match week and will be displayed accordingly on the match pages as the official match date
.
Teams should decide together when to play on the respective match day. A date deviating from the alternative date must be agreed between the teams by the start of the respective alternative date. The agreement to find a different date is not considered a permissible postponement.
A proposed date must be communicated to the opposing team on the respective match page using the ‘scheduling tool’. At least one (1) and a maximum of three (3) date proposals must be made. The first date within a proposed date is referred to as the preferred date. To simplify the scheduling process, teams are encouraged to propose as many different dates as possible.
A preferred date that is not rejected by the other team for 48 hours within the current match week is considered tacitly accepted, provided that the date is at least 48 hours in the future at the time of the proposal and the time of the proposed date is at least 48 hours before the alternative date.
If the requested date does not fall under rule 5.1.6 and has not been explicitly confirmed by the other team, all other proposed dates will also be cancelled.
A date proposal must be accepted at least two (2) hours before the official match date, whether by the opposing team or automatically. If a match is accepted after this deadline, both teams must reconfirm in the match comments.
Note: The official match date is then the new date. Example: A match is scheduled for Sunday 3 pm and at 2.30 pm 8 pm is confirmed as the new date. That would be legitimate. However, 4 pm as the new date is not.
An unanswered date proposal expires automatically as soon as the start of the ready check of the previous alternative date defined in rule 6.1.2 is reached.
Example: If the alternative date is 5 p.m. and the ready check starts 15 minutes earlier, all open date proposals are cancelled at 4:45 p.m.
If both teams are unable to agree on a match date, this must be communicated to the administration via support ticket at least 48 hours before the alternative date. In this case, the administration will decide how to proceed based on the proposed dates given by both teams. If the deadline is not met, the alternative date will remain. The 3rd league is not affected by this.
Postponements
All matches should be played on the corresponding match day in accordance with rule 5.1.1. If teams cannot agree on a date within the time period, a date one week before or after (except for the last match day and the Starter League) can be arranged, provided that both teams explicitly agree to this date. If no agreement can be reached within this period, the match will be closed 0:0.
Should one of the teams wish to postpone an already agreed date, the other team must first agree to this new date before it becomes effective. Ignoring such a request is equal to refusing it. If the opposing team is willing to talk when it comes to finding a new date, this does not automatically constitute acceptance of the postponement. Until such time as both teams agree to the new date, the previously agreed match date shall apply.
To reschedule a confirmed date, both teams must confirm the new date and contact the administration via support ticket.
Calibration Phase
The calibration phase will take place on fixed dates, which will be announced on the official tournament page. Match dates cannot be changed here.
Playoffs
The playoffs will take place on fixed dates, which will be announced on the official tournament page. Matches can only be rescheduled to an earlier date and only if both teams explicitly agree to this. This requires corresponding comments on the match page and a message via support ticket.
Before the Match
Lineup Submission & Ready Check
The leader or a captain of a team must designate an eligible lineup on the match page before the start of the official match time. If this is not done within the time limit, the match is automatically counted as lost. In the calibration phase, the time limit is set to ten (10) minutes after the official match time.
In the 3rd league, this deadline is set at two (2) hours before the official match time and the match will not be considered as lost here. Instead the lineup from the previous match is set. Rule 7.1.1 does not apply here in the first game of the match. In case of the first match of the season, the administration decides on the lineup.
Each player of the selected match lineup must confirm their participation by marking themselves as ‘ready’ on the match page from 15 minutes before and at the latest at the start of the official match time, with the exception of the calibration phase. If this is not done within the time limit, the match will automatically be counted as lost.
If none of the teams nominate an eligible line-up in time and successfully complete the ready check, the match will be closed without scoring. The match can be repeated within the match day if both teams explicitly agree on a new date in the match comments. The administration must be informed immediately via Support-Ticket.
Punctuality
Each team must be fully ready to play on the official match date.
The end of a game is defined in the match page log. The official start time of the next game begins five (5) minutes after the end of the previous game.
The following regulations apply in the event of delays to a game:
- 16 minutes late: forfeit of the game
- 31 minutes late: forfeit of the entire match
The official match time is the reference time of the first game of a match. For each further game within a match, the start time according to rule 6.2.2 is the reference time. The delay must be proven by the protesting team. Further, only the full minute applies, not each second.
Example. Game 1 ends at 15:38:27. The official matchtime for game 2 is then 15:43. Therefore the game must start bei 15:58:59.
Tournament Codes & Lobby
At the time of the match, leaders or captains of the playing teams can request the ‘tournament code’ on the match page. This code is required to join the lobby and thus start the game. The settings that are created with the tournament code determine the map and the Champion Selection mode. The game is played on the 5vs5 map (Summoner's Rift). The Champion Selection takes place in tournament draft.
The side selection for a match is as follows:
- Calibration phase: The team named first on the match page (left) has side selection for the first game.
- Regular match day in the group stage: The team named first on the match page (left) has side selection for the first game and the team named last on the match page (right) has side selection for the second game.
- Bo1 tiebreaker in the group stage: The team named first on the match page (left) has side selection for the first game.
- Bo3 tiebreaker in the group stage: The team named first on the match page (left) has side selection for the first game. This right changes with each subsequent game.
- Playoffs: In the playoffs, the side selection for the first game of a match is prioritised from top to bottom as follows:
- Upper Bracket Advantage: If Team A played the previous match in the Upper Bracket and Team B played the previous match in the Lower Bracket, Team A will have side selection for the first game.
- League advantage: If Team A has played in a higher league than Team B prior to the playoffs, Team A has side selection for the first game.
- Placement advantage: If both Team A and Team B played in the same league before the playoffs, but Team A achieved a higher ranking within the group stage, Team A has side selection for the first game.
- The team named first on the match page (left) has side selection for the first game.
This right changes with each subsequent game.
- All other matches: The team named first on the match page (left) has side selection for the first game. This right changes with each subsequent game.
The side selection must be made in the lobby at the latest.
All players are required to compare the ingamenames of the opponent's lineup in the lobby with the ingamenames on the match page. All players entered in the match lineup are eligible to play in the match, unless explicitly stated otherwise on the match page. As long as at least one ingame name in the lobby does not match the name on the match page, the team is considered late in accordance with 6.2.3.
If the Pick & Ban phase is started before both teams are ready, the Champion Selection must be exited before the first ban of the own team.
The game is considered to have started when at least one of the following points is fulfilled:
- Visual contact has been established between players on both teams.
- A player uses an attack or ability on minions, jungle creeps, buildings or opposing champions.
- A player enters, establishes line of sight or uses an ability in the opponent's jungle. This includes leaving the river or entering a bush adjacent to the opponent's Jungle.
- The game time reaches 02:00 minutes.
Protests regarding the lineup or the pick & ban phase will not be accepted after the start of the game.
If there are technical problems with a tournament code, the game can be played as a ‘custom game’ (tournament draft, spectators for all) if both teams agree. The result of the game must be communicated to the administration via a support ticket, providing evidence.
Champion Selection
Placeholders are not allowed during the Champion Selection. The picks and bans selected within the lobby may not be changed. If the Champion Selection is cancelled, all bans and picks must be repeated in the same order. The selected champions can be swapped within the team as desired
.
In the event of technical problems such as bugs or disconnects during the Champion Selection, and an incorrectly selected champion, be it a pick or ban, the Champion Selection can be immediately interrupted by the team concerned, provided that the opposing team has not yet selected another pick or ban. All picks and bans must be repeated until the champion is incorrectly selected. The incorrectly selected champion can then be reselected
.
In the event of technical problems at the end of the Champion Selection, such as incorrectly selected runes, summoner spells or a bug when swapping champions, the game can immediately be cancelled and the Champion Selection restarted if the game has not yet been started in accordance with rule 6.3.5. All picks and bans must be repeated.
Newly released champions are disabled for the patch on which they are released. In addition, the administration reserves the right to temporarily or temporarily block individual champions, for example due to bugs.
Currently disabled Champions
The following list may not be complete:
| Champion | Period of Time | Leagues |
|---|
| | |
If a champion is selected as a pick by a team in accordance with rule 6.4.4, the champion selection must be interrupted immediately and all picks and bans must be repeated in the same order. If the champion selection is not cancelled and the game is deemed to have started according to rule 6.3.5, protests regarding the pick will not be accepted.
If the Champion Selection is cancelled by a team, this team is required to inform the opposing team immediately of the reason(s) for the cancellation. In the event that there is a delay on the part of a team after the Champion Selection has been cancelled and the permitted delay according to rule 6.2.3 has been exceeded, the team can make use of the break time of the next game according to rule 7.3.1.
Example: A match is scheduled for 17:00, the Champion Selection starts at 17:10 and is cancelled at 17:14. If a team is not ready by 17:15, it can then use the break time of 10 minutes. If the team is not fully ready by 17:25, the team will be considered late.
Spectators
Spectators, coaches, commentators and other persons are permitted in the lobby and during the game. Each team may use two (2) of the four (4) spectator seats available. If a team requires less than two (2) seats, the other team may fill them. If spectators or commentators selected by the administration enter the lobby, they may take up to two (2) seats. The seats reserved for the teams will then be reduced to one (1) seat per team.
During the Matches
Substitutions
Substitutions after the line-up of a match has been submitted must be indicated immediately in the match comments. The www.primeleague.gg user profile, the ingame name of the substitute and the ingame name of the substituted player must be indicated. Furthermore, all rules regarding authorised line-ups must be adhered to.
Game Ending
A game is over when one of the following points is fulfilled:
- A Nexus has been destroyed.
- A team has used the forfeit function in League of Legends.
- An admin declares the match over.
Pauses & Disconnects
In the event of a disconnect, the pause function must be used. Pauses can be initiated within the game with /pause. This function is also intended for other emergencies, such as lags or other technical problems. Each team is then entitled to a 10-minute break per game. If this time is exceeded, the opposing team can insist on the game being continued. If a team refuses to continue the game after the available break time, the administration must be informed as soon as possible via Support-Ticket with meaningful evidence. If there is no instruction from the administration within ten (10) minutes and the opposing team continues to refuse to resume, the match is suspended until further notice. The administration may restart the match at its own discretion.
Before the match is resumed, both teams must confirm that they are ready to continue the match. If one team has no time left for a pause according to Rule 7.3.1, the other team may continue the game without consent after giving appropriate notice.
Streaming
Every player and spectator is free to stream their own team's matches. A stream delay of three (3) minutes is recommended for players.
Players are prohibited from watching these streams. The presence in the stream chat is considered an offence.
In the event of a protest regarding the scoring of the match in accordance with rule 7.4.2, the protesting team is obliged to provide evidence of any possible impact on the game.
Server Crash
If the connection of all players to a server is interrupted and it is not possible to rejoin a server, the administration must be informed immediately via Support Ticket. If there is no instruction from the administration within ten (10) minutes, the match is suspended until further notice. The administration may reschedule the match at its own discretion.
Should widespread and comprehensive technical problems occur that make it impossible for a team to play the match, the administration must be informed immediately via Support-Ticket and the circumstances must be proven. If there is no instruction from the administration within ten (10) minutes, the match may be interrupted at the player's own risk. The administration may reschedule the match at its own discretion.
Note: Please find out whether such technical problems are actually occurring more frequently. Examples would be large-scale Internet provider, power or in-game client outages. If only a few people in a single or very few games are affected, the problem may lie with the people themselves. This would not be a reason for cancelling the game and could result in a default loss.
Fraud Attempts
Cheating
The use of software and hardware that can influence League of Legends in any way is prohibited. In particular, the use of software that offers graphical representations within League of Legends, such as timers for jungle camps or summoner spells, is prohibited.
Not necessarily a complete list of unauthorised tools:
Bugs
If bugs occur in the game that significantly affect the game, the game must be paused immediately. The administration must be informed immediately via Support-Ticket. If said bugs affect only one team, clips or screenshots must be taken of the game to prove the bug. If there is no instruction from the administration within ten (10) minutes, the match is suspended until further notice. The administration may restart the match at its own discretion.
The deliberate abuse of bugs is prohibited.
Match-fixing
All players must try to win every match in every stage of the league. Any agreements that influence, among other things, the pick & ban phase or the game are prohibited. Deliberately losing a match is prohibited.
Penalties for Breaking the Rules
Sanctions
An attempted or actual breach of the rules may result in the punishment of an individual player or the entire team. The degree of punishment is decided individually by the administration.
Glossary
| Term | Explanation |
|---|
| Alternative Date | The date that is initially created for a match and then becomes the official match date if teams cannot agree on a date and do not request admin intervention. |
| Champion Selection | The phase before the start of the actual game in which teams can select and ban champions. |
| DACH region | Term used for the German-speaking countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
| Default Date | There is no default date, but there is an alternative date. |
| EMEA Regional League (ERL) | The 1st division of the regional leagues that are based below the LEC in the EMEA region. These have their own set of rules, which also apply to the 1st division of the Prime League. In addition to the Prime League, there are the following leagues and regions: LFL (France), LVP SL (Spain), TCL (Turkey), AL (Arab countries), LIT (Italy), NLC (Nordic countries, United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta), GLL (Greece and Cyprus), Ultraliga (Poland, Baltic states, Ukraine, Georgia and Israel), LPLOL (Portugal), EBL (Balkan countries), HM (Czech Republic and Slovakia), ESLOL (BeNeLux countries). |
| Game | A game is part of a match and a competition on the Summoner's Rift or Howling Abyss map in League of Legends, which is played until a winner is determined by the following event: (1) Destruction of a Nexus, (2) Surrender, (3) Recognised match victory |
| Game of Record | A game that is considered to have started according to the rules and therefore usually cannot be restarted. |
| Lineup | A distinction is made between the season line-up and the match line-up. The season line-up consists of all persons authorised to play at the time. The match line-up consists of the 5 people who play for a team in a match. Not everyone in a match line-up necessarily has to be in the season line-up. |
| Locally Trained Representative (LTR) | A person who can call the Prime League their ‘home’ according to rule 1.2.2. The status can be achieved either by the place of residence or by playing more matches (2 out of 3 splits within a year) in the Prime League. At least 3 LTR are required in the line-up per match. |
| Match | A match can consist of several games. Typically, there is a Bo1, Bo2, Bo3 and Bo5, which consist of (up to) 1, 2, 3 and 5 games respectively. |
| Match Week | The time in which a match in the group phase of a season is to be played. A match week does not have to be a calendar week and can be shorter or longer than 7 days |
| Organisation | An organisation in the Prime League is a club, company, clan or trade recognised by the league. To protect organisations, they have a special status in the league and also follow additional rules. |
| Roster Additions | Number of people that teams can add to the season line-up after the registration phase. |
| Scheduling-Tool | The tool with which both teams can agree on a date on the match page. |
| Season | A season is a self-contained edition of the Prime League. Seasons are typically referred to as ‘splits’, such as ‘Spring Split 2024’. |
| Split Points | Points that teams can collect over several seasons to give themselves a chance of promotion to the 1st division. |
| Stand-in | A stand-in is a player who is not listed in the team's season line-up but is in the match line-up for that team. |
| Starter League | The league for all new teams. After a split in the Starter League, depending on performance, you progress somewhere between the 4th-5th league playoffs and the 8th league in the next split. |
| Tournament Codes | Codes that can be requested on match pages after the start of a match, which you then enter to get into the lobby of the game ingame. |
Zum Anfang
Last Update: 03.09.2025
