University League of Legends returns for 2025!

The university term is starting back up and the Winter Season is now live! Sign up to your local League of Legends esports tournaments run by UNIVERSITY Esports and National Student Esports (NSE). Anyone in the UK with a valid university email address can enter!

If you’re looking for teams, join your university’s gaming and esports societies to find teams with other students!

UNIVERSITY Esports

About UNIVERSITY Esports UK and Ireland

UNIVERSITY Esports is a series of student tournaments and activities for students in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Founded by students for students, it’s been a fixture of the UK since 2010, and students from over 110 universities take part each week.

UNIVERSITY Esports runs tournaments in League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and VALORANT, and is open to players of all ranks and abilities. It also organises dedicated Women and Non-Binary tournaments, and top teams in previous years have also progressed to live finals events and the UNIVERSITY Esports Masters, taking on other universities from across Europe.

These tournaments and activities are all free to enter and signups for Winter will open soon, so register on the website here to set up your account and find out more!

League of Legends Tournament: Winter 2025

• Signups Close: Monday 20th October
• Tournament Starts: Wednesday 22nd October
• Team Prizes:
  • 1st place: £400
  • 2nd place: £200
  • 3rd place: £100
• Sign-up here

Extra info: This tournament consists of a 3 week qualification Swiss stage followed by 3 weeks of Playoffs with matches played every Wednesday.

Teamfight Tactics Tournament: Winter 2025

• Signups Close: Sunday 9th November
• Tournament Starts: Tuesday 11th November
• Prizes:
  • 1st place: £40
  • 2nd place: £20
  • 3rd place: £10
• Sign-up here

Extra info: This is a one-day cup consisting of 4 rounds.

NSE

About NSE & the British University Esports Championship

NSE is the official body of university esports in the UK, partnered with British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). NSE has established itself as a key figure in the UK esports industry and has the most active grassroots gaming community in the country.

NSE runs the British University Esports Championship, the official esports competition of British universities. In 24/25, the competition welcomed over 2,200 local teams from 117 universities who fought for Esports University of the Year.

This tournament is free to enter, so get your team together and sign up now.

League of Legends Tournament: BUEC Winter 2025

• Sign-ups close: Sunday 12th October
• Tournament starts: Tuesday 14th October
• Team Prizes:
  • 1st place: £500
  • 2nd place: £300
  • 3rd place: £200
  • Top 8: BUEC Championship Pins
  • In addition to other prizes, the tournament will award British University Esports Championship Points.
• Sign-up here

Extra info: The tournament lasts for 8 weeks and is played every Tuesday. If you want to join your university gaming & esports society, you can find them here. You can also find sign-ups for all NSE’s Winter tournaments here.

League of Legends Women & Non-Binary NSE Winter Cup

• Sign-ups close: Sunday 9th November 12:00pm
• Tournament starts: Sunday 9th November
• Team Prizes:
  • 1st Place: £100
  • 2nd Place: £50
  • In addition to other prizes this tournament awards British University Esports Championship Points.
• Sign-up here

Extra info: League of Legends Women & Non-Binary NSE Winter Cup is a two-day event. The Swiss stage is held on Sunday 9th November and the Playoff stage on Sunday 16th November. This tournament is open to women (cis and trans) and non-binary members of our community.

Teamfight Tactics Tournament: BUEC Winter 2025

• Sign-ups close: Saturday 11th October
• Tournament starts: Monday 13th October
• Prizes:
  • 1st place: £100
  • 2nd place: £60
  • 3rd place: £40
  • Top 8: BUEC Championship Pins
  • In addition to other prizes this tournament awards British University Esports Championship Points.
• Sign-up here

Extra info: The tournament lasts for 6 weeks and is played every Monday. If you want to join your university gaming & esports society, you can find them here. You can also find sign-ups for all NSE’s Spring tournaments here.

FAQs

How do I find a League of Legends university tournament local to me?

Both UNIVERSITY Esports and NSE cater to 100s of universities across the UK. Click on the links to learn more about each of their leagues or talk to your university’s esports or gaming society!

Do I need a team to join a League of Legends tournament?

For UNIVERSITY Esports and the NSE’s BUEC Winter 2025 Tournament you will need to register with a full team. Your team must be made up of other players from your university only.

Do I need to be a certain rank to enter a League tournament?

No, all of the League of Legends tournaments are open to any skill level. These local tournaments are created to give you the opportunity to be competitive and have fun. So grab a team, get ready, and enter to be in with a chance to win it all!

Do I need to pay to enter the tournaments?

No, all leagues mentioned above are free to enter and do not require any form of payment. 

Any other questions please reach out to the individual organisers of the tournament you wish to join.