Running your own LoL tournament looks like a lot of work, but with a solid plan you can put together an event your community will talk about for months. Here is everything you need to sort out, in order.
Step 1 — pick your format
- Single elimination: lose and you're out. Fast and tense, perfect for a single evening with 4–8 teams.
- Double elimination: a losers bracket gives every team a second chance. Fairer, but takes nearly twice as long.
- Group stage + knock-out: every team gets multiple guaranteed games. The best format for a multi-evening tournament.
Also pick your match length: Bo1 for early rounds, Bo3 for semis and final is the gold standard.
Step 2 — write your rules
Publish the rules before sign-ups open. At minimum:
- Team size (5 + 1–2 subs) and rank caps (e.g. Platinum max).
- Draft mode: Tournament Draft, fearless or regular draft.
- Check-in times and what happens on no-show (forfeit after 15 min).
- Pause and remake rules for disconnects.
Step 3 — open sign-ups
Give teams one clear place to register: team name, five Riot IDs and a contact person. On CustomLoL Tournaments this takes a few clicks: players sign up with their account, you watch the teams roll in and the bracket builds itself. (Creating tournaments is reserved for partners — apply at the bottom of the site.)
Step 4 — schedule the match days
Budget ~45 minutes per Bo1 including draft, 2 hours per Bo3. A single-elim with 8 teams = 7 matches; with two games running in parallel, one evening is enough. Communicate times in advance and be strict about check-in.
Step 5 — tournament day
- Assign someone per match to create the custom lobby (here's how) with Tournament Draft and a password.
- Collect results centrally (screenshot of the end screen).
- Keep the bracket updated live so teams know when they play.
- Have a single point of contact for disputes — one person who makes the call.
Step 6 — prizes and wrap-up
A prize doesn't have to be big: RP, a Discord role, eternal glory in a hall-of-fame channel. Afterwards, post a short recap with standings and highlights — instant promo for your next edition.
Checklist
- ✔ Format + match length picked
- ✔ Rules published
- ✔ Sign-ups open (e.g. via CustomLoL)
- ✔ Match days communicated
- ✔ Lobby owners assigned
- ✔ Bracket kept up to date
- ✔ Prize + recap sorted