Written by Dante Uzel on 23 October 2024 20:17
MAD Lions is set to rebrand as KOI for the upcoming 2025 LEC season, as confirmed by KOI Founder Ibai Llanos during a live Twitch stream. This marks a significant shift for the organization, which has been one of Spain's most successful esports teams, notably competing in the SuperLiga.
MAD Lions joined the LEC in 2018 following a merger with Splyce, acquiring a spot in the league. Since then, the team has won three splits (2021 Spring, 2021 Summer, and 2023 Spring) and has qualified for the League of Legends World Championship every year since 2020.
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In 2024, OverActive Media acquired both Movistar Riders and KOI, part of a broader strategy to unify its esports brands, which also include Toronto Ultra and Toronto Defiant. The merger was announced in January, with plans for a global rebranding effort to consolidate all teams under a single identity by the end of 2024.
This will not be KOI's first stint as a standalone LEC team. In 2022, KOI partnered with Rogue’s parent organization, Infinite Reality, briefly participating in the LEC as KOI before the partnership ended in November 2023, leading to Rogue's return as Infinite Reality's LEC franchise. The rebranding to KOI signals a new chapter for the team as it prepares for the 2025 season.