Introduction: The competition for the S16 season has officially begun, and it is believed that most players have been following the recent matches. The tournaments in various major regions have already commenced. Although the LPL region's selection matches are held online, their popularity remains quite high. After BLG team secured the championship in the first stage, it indeed helped boost the LPL region's popularity, with many veteran players and old fans gradually returning. Unexpectedly, there is still a new club joining the LPL region, prompting many netizens to jest about which entity is so bold to invest in a sunset industry. XLG has officially announced the establishment of a League of Legends division and is recruiting youth training players, with the age requirement being post-2006.

The LPL region welcomes a new member.

It is believed that most players are quite familiar with the LPL. As a former world-class top region, we have won three World Championship titles. In recent years, due to the overall decline in the league's popularity and the departure of some veteran players, the LPL's performance has worsened, even failing to advance to the World Championship finals. Coupled with financial deficits across major teams, some weaker squads have successively withdrawn. This season, the LPL's popularity has somewhat recovered, especially with the highly watched BLG team, which successfully overwhelmed G2 team in the first stage of the Global Pioneer Tournament, helping the LPL bring back a world championship trophy.

This championship victory has motivated many fans, and the popularity has indeed recovered somewhat, though it is hard to compare with the peak period before. While it was thought that the LPL region is currently reducing team slots, there is still a club wanting to join. Recently, XLG club officially announced the establishment of a League of Legends division and is recruiting youth training players. Many may not be familiar with this club; it primarily operates as a VALORANT club. Last year, XLG team won the 2025 VCT CN League first stage championship, making it a top-tier domestic team, though its performance on the world stage has not been particularly ideal. So far, it likely has not broken through the quarter-finals.

This announcement of forming an LOL team has sparked widespread discussion among players online. First, let's look at its basic requirements: consent from legal guardians, young talents born after 2006. Compliance with club regulations, good health, and no bad habits. Lastly, technical skill level must reach at least Master tier on the Korean server, or be at the王者 (top-tier) level on the Chinese server's top-ranked regions like电一 or峡谷之巅. These requirements are fairly standard, indicating their strong desire to quickly enter League of Legends competitions. However, even with the current resurgence in popularity, joining the League of Legends scene still carries significant risks.

Currently, the LPL region has 14 teams: AL, BLG, EDG, IG, JDG, LGD, LNG, NIP, OMG, TES, TT, UP, WBG, and WE. Three teams have left: RA, RNG, and FPX. They are likely to purchase a team slot, though which one is unclear; UP team's probability might be higher. It still depends on the team's capability. If, like in VALORANT, they can rise and win championships immediately, their popularity and热度 (heat) will certainly not be low, and they might even help revive LPL competitions.

Final thoughts:

This should be the most shocking news recently. Unexpectedly, there is still a new team wanting to join the LPL region. Over the past two years, the entire league's popularity has plummeted to its lowest point. If BLG team hadn't won a Pioneer Tournament championship, it feels like the LPL region would have been on the verge of dissolution. Joining the competition at this timing by抄底 (buying at the bottom) is a bold gamble. If we can win a world championship this year, XLG would undoubtedly profit without loss.

What do all esteemed viewers think about this matter?