LoL Esports Nations Cup 2026 Qualifiers Explained: Format, Regions & Teams competing for ENC spots

From 19 to 21 June, seven continental qualifiers will take place across the globe to determine part of the nations that will participate in the Esports Nations Cup for League of Legends. The event, set to be held in Riyadh this November, will feature 16 different disciplines, including LoL, bringing together hundreds of countries and thousands of players from every continent.

Scheduled from November 21 to 29, the Main Event will feature 32 nations competing for the first true League of Legends World Champion title outside of the Worlds, which is played between clubs. As such, 16 of the 32 teams have already received direct invitations to the final stage in Saudi Arabia through a proprietary ranking system established by the Esports Foundation, the organization managing the ENC. The ranking is based on the players selected by each country and their performances on Riot Games' official circuit throughout 2026.

In addition, two of the 32 nations will be selected through a wildcard system, while the remaining 14 slots will be awarded through the qualifiers. As a result, seven continental qualifiers will take place simultaneously throughout the weekend, each offering two spots for the Main Event. With most matches being played in Best-of-One format, nations will compete in a double-elimination bracket, with only the two qualification matches being played as Best-of-Three series.

Around 94 nations are expected to compete across the various tournaments in pursuit of the best possible result and, for the favorites, a place in Riyadh. The qualifiers are distributed as follows:

For Western Europe, France, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Spain, and Sweden have already qualified through the points-based invitation system. Those six major absences leave the field wide open behind them, most notably for Germany and its trio from BIG: Joel "Irrelevant" Scharoll, Seyit "Habubu" Cüce, and Steven "Reeker" Chen, alongside a botlane featuring Tim "Keduii" Willers (Eintracht Spandau) and Timo "Tockimo" Bock (G2 NORD).

The two qualification spots should also be contested by the Netherlands, led by Mark "Markoon" van Woensel (G2 NORD) and Fabian "FEBIVEN" Diepstraten; Belgium, featuring Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau (Forsaken) and Raphaël "Targamas" Crabbé; and Portugal with Rodrigo "FlickeR" de Oliveira (Frites Esports Club) and Antero "Papiteero" Baldaia (Team Heretics). Notably, Belgium and Portugal are expected to meet in the second round of the upper bracket, with the winner likely facing Germany in the following round, while the Netherlands appears to have a more favorable path.

With 17 participants, Eastern Europe is the second-largest qualifier, despite Poland and Czechia already securing invitations through the points system. Romania should therefore be one of the leading contenders, featuring several well-known names such as Francesco "Shelfmade" Cardia (G2 Nord), Alexandru "whiteinn" Kolozsvari (Ici Japon Corp), Ronaldo "Ronaldo" Betea (Bulldog Esports), and two strong AD Carry options in Darius "Yakkey" Eduard Bistrian (VIT.BEE) and Costin "Hazel" Pestrițu (former Karmine Corp Blue).

Alongside Romania, Croatia appears to have successfully convinced Luka "Perkz" Perković and Josip "Jopa" Čančar (SK Gaming) to participate, as well as Tomislav "Thomas" Nanjara, support player for TLN Pirates in the LFL. Hungary could also emerge as a dark horse, with Dániel "bluerzor" Subicz (UCAM) and Tamás "Vizicsacsi" Kiss (E WIE EINFACH).

In Asia, several nations have already secured invitations, including China and South Korea, ranked first and second, respectively, in the global standings, as well as Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), which sits seventh. Just missing out on direct qualification, Japan and Hong Kong enter as the two clear favorites in the smallest qualifier, featuring only seven teams.

Fresh off qualifying for the Asian Games after a near-perfect run, Hong Kong boasts Li "1xn" Sau Nam, AD Carry for LNG Esports, and Ling "Kaiwing" Kai Wing, the former VKS support in CBLOL. On the other side, Japan, without the notable presence of Shunsuke "Evi" Murase, arguably its most recognizable player, relies primarily on LJL talent, with only Sora "Momo" Tobita playing abroad as the top laner for DetonatioN FocusMe in the LCP. It is also worth noting the presence of Mongolia, featuring Ganbat "Yuuji" Ulziidelger (Maryville), although it remains difficult to see them overcoming Japan and Hong Kong.

With Vietnam, the region's strongest representative, already qualified for the Main Event, the South East Asia & Oceania qualifier appears relatively open. Australia likely enters as the favorite among the nine participating nations, led by Kim "Poltron" Nicholls, who played for Chiefs in the LCP during 2025, and Ronald "Kisee" Van Bao Vo, currently the mid laner for Estral Esports in Circuito Desafiante, the tier-two league below CBLOL.

The second qualification spot could be contested by Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Malaysia recently qualified for the 2026 Asian Games using the same roster, giving the team an established level of synergy that could prove valuable in this tournament. As for Singapore, part of its roster recently won Battle of S.E.A 2026: Proving Grounds, a regional tournament that may provide another indication of potential contenders. New Zealand could also be a contender, with Raaz "Whynot" Berman, who played for Chiefs in 2025, or Ryan "Chippys" Short who played two MSI and one Worlds.

By far the largest region on paper, this qualifier is indeed the most stacked, especially considering that Türkiye is the only nation from the region already invited to the Main Event. Unsurprisingly, Algeria should enter as the overwhelming favorite, featuring Mehdi "Potent" Bouchaffra (VIT.BEE) in the top lane, Mehdi "Boukada" Lahlou (Shifters) in the jungle, Kamil "Kamiloo" Haudegond (Karmine Corp Blue) in mid, and the bot lane duo of Khalil "Rin" Sahraoui (G2 Nord) and Aymen "Aymen" Zeghina (FN Esports).

The race for the second slot is far more open, with Lebanon built around Hamza "Panda2" Siala (Karmine Corp Blue) and Sajed "sajed" Ziade (Disguised), Tunisia featuring Fares "Xicor" Saidana (FN Esports) and Koussay "Koussay3" Soltani (Anubis Gaming), Morocco led by Mohamed "Myrtus" Rahli (MKOI Fénix) and Mougar "Shanks" Amine (regnum4games), and Egypt with Mohamed Yehia "Boda" El Sayed (Anubis Gaming) and Maged "Maged" Marwan (Dragon Esports).

With Canada and the United States already qualified for the final tournament in Saudi Arabia, eight nations will battle for the two remaining spots. Unlike other regions, the current level of many national teams is relatively well known thanks to the recent qualification stages for the Central American and Caribbean Games.

Nevertheless, Mexico may enter as the leading favorite. It is the only nation not competing in the CAC Games League of Legends tournament and features former Liga Latinoamérica veterans as well as active players from Liga Regional Norte, including Guillermo Alfonso "VirusFx" Navarrete and Iván "Skyy" García of SDM Tigers. Behind them, Panama, Honduras, and Guatemala are expected to compete for the second slot after recently qualifying for the CAC Games by defeating some of the same opponents they will face this weekend in ENC 2026.

In the seventh and final qualifier, eight nations will compete for two spots to join Brazil and Argentina, both of which have already secured invitations to the Main Event thanks to the performances of their players throughout 2026. Venezuela and Colombia, who also participated in the CAC Games qualification stage, dominated the competition.

As a result, both nations should once again be considered favorites. Colombia features Julián Santiago "Devost" Orozco Chaves, currently playing for Leviatán in CBLOL, alongside teammates who currently compete or have previously competed in LRN. The same applies to Venezuela, which includes Eloy "STEPZ" Rodríguez, jungler for Red Canids in CBLOL, alongside several players from local leagues. By pure chance, the bracket has placed the two teams against each other in the opening round, meaning one of the likely favorites will immediately drop to the lower bracket.

It is also worth highlighting the presence of Sebastián "Oddie" Alonso Niño Zavaleta (Fuego) on Peru's roster. He is arguably the most recognizable and accomplished player in the entire qualifier, having appeared at four MSI events and four World Championships.