Vitality Bee, LDLC OL, BDS Academy or GameWard? Will one of these four French teams aligned in the final phase of the European Masters succeed Karmine Corp, three-time defending champion but absent from this edition? In any case, they are again favorites to win the title on September 25, as the French league has demonstrated its strength in recent editions. Explanation with Laure Valée, esports consultant for franceinfo.
franceinfo: The French teams are off to a good start at these European Masters. Can we say that they hold their rank?
Laura Valee: Absolutely ! The French League of Legends league arrives in these European Masters as big favorites and it is quite deserved: it is the league that has won the most titles in the competition and in particular four of the last five editions. And in the current competition, with half of the group stage matches played, the four French teams are well on their way to qualifying. They even sign a record of 25 wins for three defeats.
Countries ranked after the first round-robin:
1. 25-3 (89%)
2. 12-5 (71%)
3. 2-1 (67%)
4.5-4 (56%)
5. 9-8 (53%)
6. 6-6 (50%)
6. 4-4 (50%)
8. 8-10 (44%)
9. 4-9 (31%)
10. 3-7 (30%)
11. 3-9 (25%)
12. 1-5 (17%)
13.0-3 (0%)
14.0-6 (0%)— Amazon European Masters (@EUMasters) September 2, 2022
Why is the French championship, the LFL, so dominating?
Laura Valee: If we have the best results, we obviously have the best players. This is the best ground to progress and shine. The LFL is highly watched and this visibility is a good way for players to get noticed in order to move up to international teams, especially those competing at the highest European level, the LEC.
There is also the fervor of the French public, the enthusiasm and commitment of the community which attracts players, as explained by Nicolas Borri, marketing director of GameWard, a French team aligned in the European Masters which are taking place moment : “The players are going to want to play where the competition is the most interesting, the most intense and obviously if we go to a league where there are a lot of very committed spectators, that will make their experience more interesting”.
France at the European Masters, the chronicle of Laure Valée
to listen
Can France keep this head start for long?
Laura Valee: We have always been good at finding young talent and putting them in the best environment so that they can progress. This contributed to the success of the league in the first place. Then over time, we have seen many great European players join the league to breathe new life into their careers and take advantage of the enthusiasm around the LFL.
But you have to succeed in keeping these good players during transfer window periods when all eyes are on France explains Nicolas Borri: “We know that we are watched… We have a lot of contact during the season, in the off-season with agents. Obviously we want to keep the most talented players in our squad, but sometimes the outside offers are superior to the motivation of the player or the club to continue the collaboration”. But in this case, when players leave France, the clubs receive significant compensation and can therefore reinvest. Admittedly today, the rest of the leagues are developing and the competition is getting tougher and tougher, but I think we still have a few years ahead of us before we get caught up!