100 Thieves Exit League of Legends in Disarray, Leaving LTA in Crisis

100 Thieves are set to depart from the professional League of Legends scene, primarily due to insufficient funding to maintain the team. However, Riot Games has opted to extend their stay for an additional year, keeping them in a provisional position in the LTA format even after they sold their franchise slot.

The year 2024 was quite unusual for 100T. They achieved a surprising victory against Cloud9, earning a spot at Worlds 2024 despite an overall unimpressive season. Regrettably, once at the event, they faced overwhelming defeats, succumbing to teams from smaller regions, which underscored the dominance of just a couple of teams within the LCS this past year.

In spite of these setbacks, the organization has re-signed River, affirming their commitment to nurture their current talent with hopes of making a significant impact in 2025. Nonetheless, not everything seems to be running smoothly within the 100 Thieves ranks.

For fans, the situation is disappointing as the franchise slot has been sold back to Riot amidst the LTA merger, ensuring their exit from the league in the coming year. Interestingly, Riot has decided to allow 100 Thieves to remain for one final year, despite the sale of their slot.

As noted in a press release from Riot, the decision made by 100T was attributed to “business reasons,”rather than a lack of interest in continuing in the league. Given that Nadeshot took a pay cut to secure the CDL team he wanted, this outcome isn’t surprising.

There remains uncertainty regarding the fate of the slot once 100T exits at the conclusion of 2025. Disguised has already secured a guest slot which they can defend this year; however, it’s unclear whether the second slot will maintain its guest status post-100 Thieves.

Preserving this as a guest slot could benefit the league by catering to creators interested in forming tier 2 teams, as the vacated position could offer more opportunities for these teams to enter the scene.

On the other hand, Riot may choose to sell the slot to another team interested in franchise rights, though the potential value of the slot remains ambiguous, especially considering how 100T has withdrawn from the league.

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