The UK Monthly Cups are here

Kicking off in March we’ve got new tournaments coming to the UK through the UK Esports League (UKEL). Following on from the successes of UKEL’s 4 Nations Divisions 1 and 2 we’re expanding out the offering to include monthly tournaments for all players within the UK! Get your team together, get practising on the Rift and we’ll see you on March 21st for the first of many iterations this year!

What are the UKEL Monthly Cups?

The UK has a strong history in League of Legends and continues to run a National League with our partner UKEL, running two seasons a year. Open qualifiers happen in January and also later again in 2026 for the best players in the region to compete on their way to the LEC. 

For those who don’t make their way into Division 1 or 2 the new Monthly Cups offer a chance to compete against the players in the region, show off your champion pools and also have fun with friends. The first iteration in March takes place over 2 days, March 21st and 22nd, and features a double elimination format. That means if you lose two games across the course of the tournament you’ll be eliminated and have to try again next month.

All players will need to form teams with 3 of the 5 players being based in the United Kingdom or being a UK citizen. Check out more info in the UKEL Discord for details on how to sign up!

I’ve never played before, how does this all work?

It’s easy! First you need to find a team that meets the eligibility criteria. That means finding enough friends to play a complete League of Legends match with at least 3 of the 5 being based in the UK. Each of your players will need to create an account on Challengermode and register your Riot ID so we know who’s going to be playing. Once you’ve done that, navigate over to the UKEL Challengermode community and sign up to the March tournament.

The tournament will be played over 2 days, if you get all the way to the finals, and that can result in a long time investment. If you’re newer to the UK League of Legends scene then you’ll likely have to level up your skills to make it all the way to the finals so the time investment will likely be lower.

Once you’ve got your team signed up and the admins have checked everything meets the rules there will be a captains meeting on March 21st usually 30 minutes to 1 hour before the tournament starts. They’ll talk through how the day works, answer any questions and then get the seeding started. You’ll find everything live on Challengermode and the admins in the UKEL discord can help out answering any questions you might have ahead of the tournament.

The cups have a prize pool of £500 for each month split between the top 3 teams based on where you finish.

What are the advantages to playing in the Monthly Cups?

Well apart from the chance to win your part of the prize pool playing as part of a team has some other advantages:

Great teamplay

Playing League of Legends as a 5-stack is a very different experience to the solo queue ladder. You get to experiment with team comps that match your team’s playstyle. Whether you like wombo combos, grouping up for dragon while your teammates split push or setting up a tent to gank for your strongest laner, working on the best coordination with your teammates highlights a great moment with your squad.

Community & Camaraderie

Local players and rivalries start in the National competitions. Find people to play with and against to improve your play and start to get to know players near you. Scrim against teams in the region, find other tournaments to play in and work your way up towards the NLC and the LEC.

Playing with friends

Some of the best moments happen in voice chat with your team mates. Coordinate to find where their jungler is pathing so you can take Baron as a group and support your friends as they show off the best parts of their champion pool.

Competitive Progression

National leagues tie into the wider European ecosystem. If you’re aiming to get to the LEC or NLC this is a great place to start. 

How to Sign Up

Signing up is simple! Gather your five-player roster (or use the Discord channels to find teammates), and check out the sign-up page.

What’s next?

Everything kicks off March 21st so you’ve got a few weeks to get your team together. The Cups will be running more times this year in April and onwards! So get practising, sign your team up early to avoid disappointment 

Sign up today, gather your squad, and we’ll see you on the rift.