The Atlas Lions are ready to make their roar heard all the way to Riyadh. Morocco continues its development in the world of esports and will indeed be present on League of Legends at the Esports Nations Cup (ENC). RFT.gg was first to report the news. The team will be led by a major name from the European scene, the Moroccan-Swedish Jonas “Memento” Elmarghichi, currently assistant coach at G2 Esports in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), sources tell Sheep Esports on Thursday.

Morocco will have to go through the Qualifier of the Esports Nations Cup in order to secure a spot in the main event. This qualifier will take place from July 19 to 21 and will feature nations from the Middle East & Africa, with only two teams advancing to Riyadh at the end of it. As the best nation in the world*, Morocco will most likely have no trouble joining the top League of Legends nations.

At 30, Memento is at the peak of his career. From his early days at the end of 2015 in the LVP, the Moroccan jungler went through stints with Team ROCCAT in the EU LCS, and played for FC Schalke 04 Esports alongside Marc Robert “Caedrel” Lamont and Elias “” Lipp in the EUCS. Later in his career, he also spent time in the Prime League and the LFL, representing Team Vitality.Bee and Mirage Elyandra.

In 2024, he hung up the keyboard to move to the other side of the game, becoming assistant coach to Stelios “Stergios” Sofikitis at NORD Esports in the NLC. He then joined Europe’s biggest organization, G2, at the start of 2025 as part of Dylan Falco’s staff. Since then, the team has won two LEC splits, competed at the Mid-Season Invitational, reached Worlds quarterfinals, and made the final of the First Stand after beating Gen.G in Semis. Moroccan impact*.

In a recent interview with RFT, the French-Moroccan midlaner Ilias “” Bizriken spoke about his decision to represent France at the Esports Nations Cup. Still, Morocco has plenty of talent available, both from local AL players and dual nationals competing abroad. Oussama “” Cherradi is one of the most experienced players in the Arabian League and is expected to be part of the roster.

Mohamed “” Rahli, support for Movistar KOI Fénix, also holds Moroccan nationality and represents a strong option in the role, while Ismail “” Bastoun is another possibility after regaining playtime with 3BL Esports. Other names remain in contention, such as jungler Mougar “” Mohamed Amine and toplaner Hassine “” Abdssamad.

Scheduled from November 2 to 29 for its first edition in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, the nation-based competition, the largest in esports history, is expected to bring together thousands of players from around a hundred countries, competing across nearly 16 games. Alongside the League of Legends tournament, set to take place from November 21 to 29, there will also be nation-based competitions in VALORANT, Counter-Strike, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six: Siege. For Riot Games’ MOBA title, around 32 teams, each representing a nation, will compete on site.

Before that, the participants still need to be decided. The Esports Foundation, which oversees the ENC and the Esports World Cup (two separate events), has decided that 16 teams out of the 32 will qualify directly for the final tournament, based on the results of their representatives in Riot Games’ official competitive circuits. The other participants will have to go through seven regional qualifiers, each offering two spots. The remaining two slots will reportedly be allocated by the ENC in the form of wildcards, likely at the discretion of the event organizers.