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This week the ����ý begins streaming the Northern League Championship (NLC) League of Legends tournament.

The NLC sits in the second tier of European competition, just behind the franchised Legends European Championship (LEC) and is a qualification tournament to the EU Masters - the largest European event open to everyone.

The NLC features teams from the UK, Ireland and the Nordic countries, and was formed earlier in 2020, merging the old UK League Championship and Nordic Championship.

Two academy rosters of LEC teams - Fnatic Rising and BT XL - are the big names in the competition, with other top teams from around Europe fielding their best rosters every week.

The split has already been running for a couple of weeks, so here is everything you need to know to start watching.

The teams

The NLC is made up of 12 teams - a mix of academy rosters, top organisations who did not buy into the LEC, and new orgs looking to establish themselves.

Fnatic Rising and BT XL are the two academy teams in the NLC, with the organisation's main rosters competing in the LEC. These academy rosters are seen as the breeding ground for talent about to break into the top level of League of Legends in Europe, and could feature the stars of tomorrow.

The other UK representation comes from Barrage Esports and MnM Gaming. Both are UK-focused organisations that have been around for many years and have often placed highly in UK competitions.

Ireland's sole representative is Munster Rugby Gaming, which is tied to the rugby team of the same name. The club decided to invest in esports earlier this year, and have been rewarded with a solid LoL team and a place in the NLC.

Nordic teams complete the entrants, with recognisable names from other titles such as Godsent and ENCE joining smaller set-ups such as Nordavind, Riddle Esports, Dusty, Team Singularity and Tricked Esport.

While the NLC is the breeding ground of developing talent there are some recognisable names competing, such as UK player Raymond 'kaSing' Tsang on BT XL. He has competed in the top tier of European League of Legends for many years. Nubar 'Maxlore' Sarafian, who competed at the World Championships for Misfits, is playing on Munster Rugby Gaming.

The format

The 12 teams are split into two groups of six, with each team playing their five group rivals twice. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams qualify for the play-offs, while the bottom team from each group goes into the relegation tournament.

Every week of the regular season features two play days - one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, both streamed live on the ����ý Sport website and ����ý iPlayer - on which four matches will take place. The first match will kick off at 6pm.

The play-offs feature a knockout bracket including the top eight teams, meaning most of the league will have a shot at becoming champions even if they have underwhelming regular seasons.

In the unlikely event that Fnatic Rising or BT XL come last in their group they will not be relegated, as their status as LEC academy teams gives them a permanent spot in the league.

What has happened so far?

There have been two weeks of matches.

In Group A, BT XL, Godsent, Nordavind and Riddle Esports all have 2-1 records, with BT XL unexpectedly losing to Riddle in week two. This pack of four teams are incredibly close in terms of skill, and are likely to be vying for top spot throughout the season.

Also in Group A are ENCE, with a 1-2 record, and Team Singularity, who are yet to win a game.

Over in Group B things aren't quite as even, though some teams are yet to play three games.

Tricked Esport top of the table with a 3-0 record, but Fnatic Rising also have a perfect record and could join them at the top if they win their game in hand.

Dusty and Munster Rugby Gaming are in joint third, with 1-1 records, with Barrage Esports and MnM Gaming below them, both have failed to win a game so far.

The action has certainly been entertaining, with some upset wins and incredibly close matches.

If you are looking for a match or two to watch this week then the face-off between Riddle Esports and Nordavind on Tuesday, and the battle between Fnatic Rising and Tricked Esport on Wednesday, are set to be the highlights.