Riot Games Brazil has revealed the 10 teams that will participate in the Brazilian Championship of League of Legends (CBLoL) in 2021.
After a four-month evaluation process, the chosen franchises include paiN Gaming, INTZ, KaBuM e-Sports, Flamengo Esports, Falkol Prodigy, FURIA Esports, LOUD, RED Canids, Rensga, and Cruzeiro.
Riot’s representatives judged several aspects of the prospective organizations, such as their plans for esports, commercial, and management development, as well as financial sustainability, among other criteria.
Traditional League teams like Vivo Keyd, Team oNe, and Santos HotForex were left out of next year’s CBLoL. Newer organizations like LOUD and Cruzeiro managed to get into the franchised league, however.
The list of organizations that applied but weren’t approved includes Vivo Keyd, Team oNe, Havan Liberty, Santos HotForex, Gamelanders/Final Level, Black Hawks, Black Dragons, and Redemption.
Riot Games Brazil announced in January that the CBLoL would become a franchised league and said it’d release the approved list on Oct. 25. But it made the announcement a few weeks ahead of schedule. Recently LCK as also announced the teams accepted into the franchised 2021 Spring Split.
All of the League of Legends teams from the current LCK and Challengers Korea series, except for Griffin, have reportedly applied. This means Riot might have a tough time deciding who to choose for the franchised LCK. Some popular organizations might not be initially accepted, similar to what happened when Europe and North America transitioned to a franchised format.
Here’s the list of teams that reportedly applied for franchising:
T1 Gen.G DRX Damwon Gaming KT Rolster Afreeca Freecs SeolHaeOne Prince Hanwha Life Esports Team Dynamics Sandbox Gaming ESC Shane Speargaming Element Mystic OZ Gaming Jin Air Greenwings Runaway Gamer Republic, Inc. Omaken Sports World Game Star WDG Treasure Hunter/KnightsGG
Two major esports organizations, FaZe Clan and NRG, reportedly decided not to apply after submitting letters of intent in May, according to Korean news outlet Fomos.
Griffin, on the other hand, has gone through a rough year. The organization was involved in a lot of drama and parted ways with most staff toward the end of the Spring Split after being relegated. While some people in the League community expected them to come back and apply for the franchised LCK in an effort to get their redemption arc, this might spell the end of Griffin instead.
Riot said in April that its goal with this move to franchising is to “strengthen LCK’s competency and ultimately create a more satisfying experience for all participants of the league.”