All Knights withdraw from LLA, league reduced to six teams

LATAM esports organisation All Knights has withdrawn from the Latin American League (LLA), League of Legends’ top division for the region.

As a result of All Knights’ decision to leave the competition, LLA will have six teams for its upcoming Closing Split, set to take place after this year’s Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). 

First announced on All Knights’ social media, the organisation clarified that despite leaving League of Legends, it will continue to operate outside of the scene. Founded in 2018, the Chilean esports organisation also has a competitive esports roster in the VALORANT Challengers ecosystem.

All Knights highlighted a change in competitive strategy as a reason for its departure.  

In League of Legends, All Knights’ best performance came in 2020, when the organisation won LLA Opening 2020 and qualified for MSI. Unfortunately, the mid-season event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and All Knights has not won an LLA split since.

According to an announcement by LLA, All Knights reached out to Riot Games in the last few weeks to discuss its future in the compilation. With the league going from seven teams to six, the competition’s Closing Split will have a new competitive format which Riot Games said it would share in the near future.

All Knights is the second esports organisation to leave the LLA in under a year with Mexican organisation Team Aze stepping away following LLA Closing 2023. 

Despite the competition losing an organisation in the 2024 season, this year’s LLA Opening Split recorded the second-highest peak viewership for the competition since its debut in 2019. According to Esports Charts, the event garnered 103,384 peak viewers with only LLA Closing 2023 (136,712) generating a higher figure.

The winner of LLA Opening 2024, Estral Esports, is currently representing the region at MSI, which is now underway in Chengdu, China.