Mid-table teams from the major leagues will face off ahead of Worlds in the Demacia Cup Global Invitational

LPL organizers TJ Esports, in partnership with HUYA, will host the Demacia Cup Global Invitational from October 3 to 17. The tournament will take place in China, featuring both online and offline stages at the JDG home venue in Beijing, and will see 12 teams from around the world compete: the No. 5, 6 and 7 seeds from the LCK and LPL, the No. 4 and 5 seeds from the LEC and LCS, and the No. 4 seeds from the LCP and CBLOL.

The group stage of the competition will be played online from October 3 to 8, before the knockout stage begins on October 12 and runs through the grand final on October 17. The opening phase will feature a BO1 Swiss Stage on Day 1, followed by exclusively best-of-three series for the remainder of the stage. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and grand final will all be played as best-of-fives.

As stated in the announcement, coach communications will be enabled during the offline stage, three times per BO5, with each communication window lasting 45 seconds. Coach comms will take place without the players pausing the game.

The winner of the competition will receive ¥600,000, approximately $90,000, while the runner-up will earn ¥400,000, around $60,000. The semifinalists will receive ¥175,000, a little over $26,000, while teams finishing between fifth and eighth place will receive ¥37,500, less than $5,600.

During the Esports World Cup, Global Head of League of Legends Esports Chris Greeley spoke about the possibility of introducing more international events, not necessarily limited to Tier 1 teams, and that is now becoming a reality. Last year, the Asia Invitational was held online, bringing together mid-table teams from the LCK, LPL, and LCP. This edition of the Demacia Cup will build on that concept by adding Western teams to the mix, while also introducing an offline stage.

Regional slot allocations are determined by results at MSI 2026. The 1st and 2nd place regions receive 3 slots each, the 3rd and 4th place regions receive 2 slots each, and all remaining regions receive 1 slot each. In Brazil, the top two teams will qualify for Worlds, while the fourth-placed team will join the Demacia Cup.

Meanwhile, the third-placed team will see its season come to an end in the CBLOL playoffs. This is due to the Brazilian league’s schedule, which will not allow the top three teams to be determined before the competition begins in China. And no, this is not the Demacia Cup that is traditionally held at the beginning of the year featuring LPL teams.