Sources: Germany appoints League of Legends roster for the Esports Nations Cup

Germany will attempt to qualify for the Esports Nations Cup, set to take place from November 22 to 29. As one of the European nations with a strong presence in the LEC over recent years, the team will be led by current Team Vitality assistant coach Danusch “Arvindir” Fischer. According to sources that shared information with Sheep Esports, the Head Coach has assembled the following roster:

It has not yet been confirmed whether Tockimo or Lilipp will start or serve as substitute. In the midlane, however, Reeker is confirmed as the starter, with Ici Japon Corp's Oliver "Dajor" Ryppa joining as the seventh player and substitute.

Notably, every starting player for Germany currently competes in the Prime League, the ERL representing Germany and the DACH region. The lineup is a seasoned one, with Reeker, Keduii, and Irrelevant all having previously competed in the LEC.

The team's top side; Irrelevant, Habubu, and Reeker, all play for Berlin International Gaming, the Prime League's best team at the time of writing, having claimed the Winter Split title and a fourth-place finish at EMEA Masters Winter. AD carry Keduii represents rival side Eintracht Spandau, while Tockimo and Lilipp play for G2 NORD and TeamOrangeGaming respectively.

Despite the talent on paper, Germany's roster could have been considerably stronger. The team will compete without Sergen "BrokenBlade" Çelik (G2 Esports), who chose to represent Turkey, a blow that costs them their best toplaner and a substantial number of qualification points. AD carry Elias "Upset" Lipp (Fnatic) and support Norman "Kaiser" Kaiser (BIG) have declined to play for the team. In Kaiser's case, with BIG already contributing the maximum of three players to the roster, his arrival would have meant another player on the roster would need to be changed.

These absences leave Germany in a precarious position in the standings, with nations such as Turkey, France, Denmark, and Poland all ahead of them on points. Germany currently sits at 1,200 points, distributed as follows:

Strong performances from BIG in both the Prime League and EMEA Masters have kept the majority of the roster on the board, but it may not be enough to secure a direct qualification to the main event in November. Germany will in all likelihood need to compete in the Europe West Qualifier alongside nations like Belgium, Portugal, and Switzerland. Scheduled for June 19–21, they will need a top-two finish to reach the main event.

Update: Wording has been adapted to make it clearer that Upset and Kaiser declined to play.

Update 2: According to German fans, midlaner Tristan "PowerOfEvil" Schrage reportedly stated on stream that he declined to represent Germany at the ENC. Sheep Esports has not been able to independently verify this information at the time of writing.