The first edition of the
Demacia Cup Global Invitational will take place from October 3 to 17, 2026, featuring mid-table teams from the six major leagues in Riot Games'
League of Legends circuit. Twelve teams will compete in total: the 5th, 6th, and 7th seeds from the LPL and LCK, the 4th and 5th seeds from the LEC and LCS, and the 4th seed from the LCP and CBLOL. Nine of these teams have already competed at least once at an international event, while for three others, it will be their first time on the international stage:
,
, and
.
List of Demacia Cup 2026 Qualified Teams. Credit: Sheep Esports
Two other teams will be making their second international appearance.
previously competed at the First Stand earlier this year, while
will return to the international stage for the first time since the 2018 World Championship. The remaining teams all have more international experience, having competed at either Worlds or MSI.
A strong first year for NAVI in the LEC
The Ukrainian organization joined the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) for the 2025 Summer Split, but had to do so with all of Rogue's players under contract, as NAVI had acquired the organization's slot. Considering 2026 as NAVI's first full year in the LEC, the team clearly made a strong start, especially compared to other LEC teams in their respective first years after joining the league.
NAVI during the LEC 2026. Credit: Alexandre Weber/Riot Games
They reached the playoffs in every split and even came close to qualifying for Worlds during the Summer Split. The team will be a major threat at this Demacia Cup, and opponents will have to keep an eye on Turkish jungler
Enes "" Uçan, LEC Rookie of the Year. The entire roster will also compete in an international event for the first time, except Korean midlaner Yoon "
" Sung-won, who previously competed at Worlds with Fnatic.
From his very first year, SR Zinie
At the beginning of the year, one of South Korea's biggest prospects, Yoo "Zinie" Baek-jin, left KT Challengers and his country to join Shopify Rebellion in the United States. The team had hoped to finally make their mark in North America and qualify for an international event. Things did not go entirely as planned, but they still managed to secure a Top 4 finish in the Summer Split after defeating Sentinels and FlyQuest.
Shopify Rebellion during the LCS 2026. Credit: Heaven Wolf/Riot Games
This will therefore be the organization's first international event. Shopify Rebellion joined the league in 2024 and had a difficult first year. Things improved significantly in 2025, with Top 3 finishes in Splits 2 and 3, but they still failed to qualify for an international tournament. They finally got the chance to leave the Riot Games studio in Los Angeles in 2026, thanks to their Top 4 finish in the Summer Split and the creation of the Demacia Cup Global Invitational. For his very first international event, Zinie will also face KT Rolster, and more specifically the legendary Bdd, whom the player now competing in the LCS was unable to dislodge.
BRION and Teddy the eternal
Founded in early 2018 under the name Brion Blade, the organization had to wait eight years to finally qualify for its first international event. The roster is made up of relatively young players with limited LCK experience, such as Shin "Casting" Min-je, Jo "Roamer" Woo-jin and Namgung "Namgung" Seong-hoon.
HANJIN BRION during the LCK 2026. Credit: Riot Games
Behind BRION's first international appearance is a veteran, 2019 World Championship and Mid-Season Invitational semifinalist Park "Teddy" Jin-seong. At 28 years old, the AD carry continues to fight for his place in the LCK and will return to an international event more than six years after his time with SK Telecom T1.
