Beşiktaş Esports leaves League of Legends

Turkish organisation Beşiktaş Esports has announced that it is stepping away from the League of Legends competitive ecosystem.

The brand leaves the esports scene after competing for a decade, citing sustainability issues as one of the reasons, according to a statement published online.

In rough translation by Esports Insider, Beşiktaş Esports wrote that it had conducted a ‘comprehensive evaluation process’, sharing that the decision was made to allow the brand to ‘take stronger steps in the future’.

However, the organisation emphasised that it was open to returning to the League of Legends scene in the future if it creates an environment that aligns with ‘Beşiktaş Esports’ dreams and goals’.

The Turkish organisation ended the statement by sharing that it will continue to work across other ‘games and projects’, ruling out a complete esports exit. According to its website, Beşiktaş Esports currently fields teams in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile (including a female team), and sports simulators such as EA FC and NBA 2K.

The announcement comes months after ending its contracts with its League of Legends players, many of whom have shared that they are free agents for 2026 season.

Beşiktaş Esports, which is associated with the famous Beşiktaş football club, has been a core pillar of the annual Turkish Championship League (TCL) since 2015.

In 2015, the team reached that year’s Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), which to this day stands as one of the organisation’s greatest accomplishments in League of Legends. This feat was achievable because, in the past, the TCL used to be a wildcard league offering qualifications to League of Legends’ global events.

However, 2023 saw TCL become a part of the EMEA Regional Leagues, a tier-two qualifier for EMEA Masters. Since this change, Beşiktaş Esports reached the EMEA Masters twice in 2024, placing runner-up in Spring. It would reach the EMEA tournament for a final time in 2025 Summer, placing 35th overall.