For the longest time, the
League of Legends ecosystem has remained a rigid juggernaut. Teams would play their regular season, and the best of each region would go out to play internationally. Today, Riot is finally breaking this formula. After the addition of
First Stand in 2025, two new major competitions have seen the light of day and may very well revolutionize how we see the esports scene.
In a scene where profitability is a hope but never a promise, the arrival of the
Demacia Cup Global Invitational and the
World Star Challengers Invitational offers the promise of greater opportunities to underserved organizations on the global stage. In the context of these additions,
Sheep Esports sat down with leading figures from some WSCI-participating teams to discuss these new events and their impact on Tier 2 organizations.
An Oasis Amid a Drought?
For a healthy ecosystem, one cannot forget about the importance of a sturdy lower circuit. Today, it is no secret that the Tier 2 League of Legends infrastructure has been in rough shape for some time now. In China, there does not even exist a lower circuit anymore due to constant match-fixing and national regulations limiting access to games for those under 18.
In Europe, organizers like those of the LVP Superliga last year and the
LFL this year are dropping like flies, while teams continue to face severe financial issues and the growing prevalence of match-fixing scandals.
Though things haven’t necessarily been as dire in other regions, it remains undeniable that more is possible, and teams are finally being heard.
“Until now, after you had won the EMEA Masters, you’d have sort of completed everything there was to be done. Now, we have a new objective to pursue,” said
Alexandre Job, CEO of
in the EMEA region.
Indeed, in many regions, Tier 2 doesn’t exist off the back of Tier 1 organizations, but instead through contender teams who live off performance on a smaller scale. Without proper avenues to compete, sustainability becomes a fool’s errand.
But beyond the financial aspects, there also exists the chance for challenger organizations to build their brand. Existing in Tier 2, a successful organization will rarely, if ever, keep its players long-term, as they will logically look to move up the ladder.
“Competing in international tournaments is always a positive opportunity for us. It allows us to interact with and gain more attention from the international community,” commented
Hugo Tristao, CEO of
Vivo Keyd Stars, who are sending their
team as Brazil’s representatives.
Covered by Riot, but the same problems as ever
On the logistical side, the competition has thankfully benefited from the same level of professionalism as is expected from official Riot Games events. Nonetheless, the inclusion of younger players could eventually pose an issue. Though not directly related, rumors of struggles to find visas for inexperienced
LPL players have recently surfaced ahead of
Worlds 2026.
For the WSCI,
, who have just qualified as the last seed from Europe, have announced that their toplaner Ivan "
" Bilous will be forced to attend the event remotely. Due to his Ukrainian refugee status, he is subject to additional immigration requirements for travelling to South Korea, leaving him unable to join the event.
Those issues are though likely to be ironed out in the future, notably if next year’s edition is announced earlier and regional schedules get ironed out to better fit this new landscape.
“Logistically, a lot of things are covered and taken care of by Riot, so that takes a lot of weight off our shoulders when it comes to organization,” explained
César "Wakz" Hugues, Head of
League of Legends for
.
“It’s never easy to organize things at the last minute, especially when Webedia still hasn’t paid tens of thousands of euros despite numerous follow-ups after months of delays,” Solary’s CEO
Baptiste “TiisBa Doussaint adds*. These sentiments were additionally echoed by Galions’ CEO:
“Riot has already organized everything in advance. The main issue we could have faced would have been visas, but fortunately, that isn’t the case for us.” Unclear Power Levels
The existence of the WSCI appears as a major positive change for the ecosystem, though what to expect from the event remains a big question. Chinese teams and APAC representatives both come from leagues where broadcasting is either nonexistent or difficult to scout. Due to this, some Western teams will likely enter the tournament with virtually no information on some of their opponents.
“It’s difficult to know the true level of the other T2 teams. We’re coming in confident, but we’re still moving forward a little bit in the dark. We have a lot of information on Korea in particular, but some regions are very opaque, APAC in particular,” explained Wakz.
The question is, will the gap between the East and West be the same as in Tier 1? Coach of
Choi "
DooTi" Du-seong seems to think that Europe in particular could very much compete.
“I want to face Galions; I think they look like a very strong team in Europe.” His jungler Kim "
" Eun-hoo echoed the same sentiment:
“I heard there are good teams in Europe, especially in France. So I'd like to play against some of them.”*According to Solary management, the club is still awaiting payment of its invoices (revenue sharing and cash prizes) from the LFL Spring Split, organized by Webedia. Sheep Esports contacted the league’s other clubs. Among those who responded, while most reported experiencing regular payment delays, none had any outstanding invoices with the tournament organizer
