The points phase of CELOL Series A is coming to an end, but the fight for playoff spots is still ongoing. With nine out of eleven rounds already played, two matches remain for each team before the six participants in the elimination phase of the League of Legends championship organized by Liga GG are determined.
At the top of the table, emBRAZA! Esports and Smoke Tram Esports share the lead, boasting eight wins and only one loss. Just below them, NKZ Vorax and Marere E-Sports follow with seven wins each. These four teams already have a guaranteed mathematical qualification for the playoffs.
The race for the two remaining spots involves LOS Academy, Neon Esports, and Invictus Team. Although the other teams no longer have a chance to qualify, their results can still impact the final ranking of the direct competitors.
emBRAZA! Esports maintains the lead with 24 points, tied with Smoke Tram Esports, both having eight wins and one loss. NKZ Vorax and Marere E-Sports total 21 points, while LOS Academy and Neon Esports occupy the Top 6 with 18 points each. Invictus Team is in seventh place, with four wins and five losses, and still has the potential to reach the teams immediately ahead.
With only two rounds left, Invictus Team, in seventh place, can reach a maximum of six wins, which prevents it from reaching any of the four already qualified teams. Despite being guaranteed, these four teams are still competing for their final positions in the table.
The battle for the lead remains open, mainly between emBRAZA! and Smoke Tram, who are tied on points as they approach the final stretch. LOS Academy and Neon Esports enter the tenth round with identical records: six wins and three losses. Both depend exclusively on their own results to secure a spot, as a win in each of the two remaining rounds would be enough to guarantee qualification, bringing them to seven victories, a number Invictus Team cannot match.
In the tenth round, LOS Academy will face Marere E-Sports, the fourth-placed team, while Neon Esports will play against Sphere, who has not yet won in the competition. If both win, the six playoff spots will be mathematically defined before the last round. However, if one of them loses both games and Invictus wins its two matches, there will be a tie in the number of wins, forcing the application of tie-breaking criteria.
Invictus Team is the only team outside the qualification zone that still has a mathematical chance of entering the playoffs. With four wins and five losses, the team must necessarily win its last two encounters to reach six wins, but this does not guarantee a spot. Invictus also needs either LOS Academy or Neon Esports to lose both remaining matches, allowing at least one of those teams to finish with the same record of six wins and five losses, at which point the definition would depend on the official tie-breaking criteria. If LOS Academy and Neon Esports manage at least one win each, Invictus will be eliminated, regardless of its own results.
In the tenth round, Invictus Team plays against Smoke Tram Esports, the runner-up in the championship, in a crucial duel for its future in the competition. Four teams no longer have a mathematical chance of reaching the playoffs: Shark Bite Furious Gaming Black, Shark Bite Furious Gaming White, Juventus Gaming Red, and Smoke Tram Ascension. These four teams have only two wins and can reach a maximum of four, making it impossible to reach the qualification zone, given that LOS Academy and Neon Esports already have six wins.
Even so, the results of the final rounds can influence the fight for the top positions and for the sixth spot. The next round features important matchups for both the leadership and the definition of qualifiers, including emBRAZA! Esports vs Juventus Gaming Red, Marere E-Sports vs LOS Academy, Smoke Tram Esports vs Invictus Team, NKZ Vorax vs Smoke Tram Ascension, and Shark Bite Furious Gaming Black vs Shark Bite Furious Gaming White. It is important to note that all teams win against Sphere's W.O. until the end of the phase.
LOS Academy can secure its spot by beating Marere E-Sports. On the other hand, Invictus Team needs to overcome Smoke Tram Esports to maintain its chances of qualification until the 11th round; if it loses, it will be mathematically eliminated, regardless of other results. After the tenth round, each team will have only one more game to play before the end of the points phase, and the accumulated records will determine the final classification, using tie-breaking criteria if there is a tie in wins.
It is essential to remember that the end of the 11th round does not mark the end of CELOL Series A. The six qualified teams will advance to the playoffs, where the elimination battle for the title will begin. Following the two remaining rounds will reveal whether LOS Academy and Neon Esports confirm their spots or if Invictus Team manages to prolong the dispute until the last round. The games are broadcast on the official channels of Liga GG and on Olhar Digital's YouTube.