With 22 players in the VCT EMEA, Turkey is the most represented nation in the domestic elite since the league’s inception. The country is, therefore, undoubtedly one of the most anticipated countries in VALORANT ahead of the Esports Nations Cup. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, Mert "KEY" Çelebi is expected to serve as head coach, alongside Berke "Vlad" Kantürk as coach, forming the Turkish national team’s coaching staff on Riot Games’ FPS. Both coaches were selected by Mert “Mert” Tanrıverdi, currently manager of BBL Esports in VALORANT’s VCT and formerly a team manager in the LEC with and .

KEY is currently the head coach of the Turkish organization competing in the VCT EMEA, while Vlad previously held the same role at BBL between late 2022 and early 2023. He then became an analyst for Natus Vincere before returning home to work with ULF, and ultimately stepping up as head coach of FUT Esports at the highest level of VALORANT since early 2026. KEY began his career in Game Changers, notably with NAVI and FUT, before joining PCIFIC Esports in 2024, where he led the team to victory at Ascension EMEA and promotion to the VCT. BBL picked him up at the end of 2025, just like his PFC teammates.

The duo has therefore experienced top-tier competition and coached a wide range of players, giving them a strong overview of each player’s potential and strengths. As a reminder, alongside the national manager, they will be responsible for building the roster for the ENC, which must consist of five players and two substitutes, with a specific limitation. Only three players from the same club, including substitutes, can be registered for the competition.

Scheduled from November 2 to 29 for its inaugural 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 one hundred countries, competing across nearly 16 titles. Alongside the VALORANT tournament, set to take place from November 8 to 15, national team competitions will also be held in League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Rocket League and Rainbow Six: Siege. For Riot Games’ FPS, around 32 teams, each representing a nation, will compete on site.

Before that, the participants must first be determined. The Esports Foundation, which oversees both the ENC and the Esports World Cup as two separate events, has decided that 16 of the 32 teams will qualify directly for the final tournament based on the performances of their representatives in Riot Games’ official circuits. The remaining teams will have to go through regional qualifiers, with seven events awarding two spots each. The final two slots are expected to be distributed as wildcards by the ENC, likely at the discretion of the event organizer.