From June 19 to 21, the online qualifiers for the
Esports Nations Cup League of Legends tournament took place across seven different regions around the world. More than 90 national teams from every continent competed across seven separate qualification tournaments, with two spots in each up for grabs for the final event, which will be held in Riyadh from November 21 to 29.
In total, 14 new teams secured their place at the Main Event through today's qualifiers, joining the 16 nations that had already received direct invitations from the Esports Foundation, the organization behind the ENC. With 30 of the 32 spots now filled, two additional nations will qualify through wildcard slots, including one regional representative from the GCC and one "Solidarity Slot" reserved for a developing region.
Across
all seven qualifiers, the competition was played almost entirely in Best-of-One format, with only the two qualification matches, the Winner Bracket Final and the Loser Bracket Final, being played as Best-of-Three series. The tournament therefore used a double-elimination format, but the short series left plenty of room for upsets. With brackets ranging from eight to around thirty teams, not every qualifier was equally long or challenging. Hong Kong, for example, benefited from the absence of regional powerhouses such as South Korea and China, both already directly qualified, and cruised through the Asian qualifier without much trouble.
Qualified teams for the Esports Nations Cup
- New Zealand (SEA & Oceania)
- Philippines (SEA & Oceania)
- Hong Kong (Asia)
- Mongolia (Asia)
- Lithuania (Europe East)
- Romania (Europe East)
- Germany (Europe West)
- Belgium (Europe West)
- Algeria (Middle East & Africa)
- Tunisia (Middle East & Africa)
- Mexico (North America)
- Guatemala (North America)
- Chile (South America)
- Peru (South America)
Southeast Asia & Oceania Qualifier
Starting from the very first round, New Zealand became the first nation to qualify for the Esports Nations Cup Main Event. Forced to play Brunei in the opening match of the SEA & Oceania qualifier due to the nine-team bracket, the Oceanian squad went on to win four consecutive matches to secure the first qualification spot, including a victory over neighboring Australia and a convincing 2-0 win over Singapore in the decisive series.
New Zealand Roster:
- Toplane: Ryan âChippysâ Short
- Jungle: Raaz âWhynotâ Alfassi Berman
- Midlane: Ari âShokâ Greene-Young
- AD Carry: Quin âRaesâ Korebrits
- Support: Lawrence âLostâ Sze Yuy Hui
Singapore, meanwhile, also fell short in the second qualification match. After dropping to the Lower Bracket, they were defeated 2-0 by the Philippines, who claimed the region's second slot. The Filipino roster had opened its campaign with a victory over Guam in Round 2 before losing to New Zealand in the following round, sending them into the Lower Bracket. From there, they completed an impressive run by defeating Malaysia, Australia, and finally Singapore in the decisive series.
Philippines roster:
- Toplane: Reven âRelhiaâ Lhi Aloit
- Jungle: Joshua âDevouredâ Phillip Escucharo
- Midlane: Cherv âAgronaâ Zildjan Dorado
- AD Carry: Kyle âDawnâ Leird Somera
- Support: Jan âCreshoâ Edward Hortizuela
Asia Qualifier
With only seven teams competing, the Asia qualifier was the smallest tournament of the seven, explaining its quick conclusion. Starting directly in the Winner Bracket semifinals, Hong Kong comfortably defeated Sri Lanka before sweeping Japan 2-0 in the grand final to secure its ticket to Saudi Arabia. The team was led by Li "
" Sau Nam, who stood well above the competition throughout the event.
Hong Kong roster:
- Toplane: Chau "YSKM" Shu Tak
- Jungle: Tsang "Holo" Tak Lam
- Midlane: Ng "Pretender" Cheuk Lun Jason / Leong "BuLuKaKa" Ka Kit
- AD Carry: Li "1xn" Sau Nam
- Support: Ling "Kaiwing" Kai Wing
After losing their opening match to Japan, Mongolia and star player Ganbat "
" Ulziidelger mounted a full Lower Bracket run, defeating Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh before earning a rematch against Japan in the decisive Lower Bracket Final. Japan, which had defeated India along the way and featured a roster largely made up of Tier 2 players, logically reached the final qualification match. However, despite winning the first match, Japan went on to lose the next two, propelling Mongolia into the Main Event with a 2-1 victory.
Mongolia roster:
- Toplane: Battushig "EQon" Enkhbold
- Jungle: Ganbat "Yuuji" Ulziidelger
- Midlane: Inguun "River" Turgerelt
- AD Carry: Jawkan
- Support: Trillv
Europe East Qualifier
With a flawless run, Lithuania emerged as the surprise winner of the Europe East qualifier, securing the first qualification spot for Saudi Arabia. After defeating Kosovo, the team went on to eliminate Volodymyr "
" Sorokin's Ukraine, then Francesco "
Shelfmade" Cardia's Romania before reaching the final. In the decisive match against Hungary, Linas "
Lyncas" Nauncikas and his teammates delivered a convincing 2-0 victory to book their place.
Lithuania roster:
- Toplane: Edgaras "Eckas" Strazdauskas
- Jungle: Linas "Lyncas" Nauncikas
- Midlane: Tautvydas "Toffe" Gegeckas
- AD Carry: Eimantas "Yashiro" Ć niukas
- Support: Kristupas "Parein" DanileviÄius
Hungary was then set to face that same Romania in the lower bracket final. After notably defeating Luka "
" PerkoviÄ's Croatia in the previous rounds, Hungary and jungler DĂĄniel "
bluerzor" Subicz fell short in their second qualification match, losing 2-1 despite leveling the series after dropping the opening map. Romania, which had also defeated Serbia in the opening round of its campaign and again in the lower bracket semifinal, claimed the final qualification spot for the Main Event alongside Lithuania.
Romania roster:
- Toplane: Francesco "Shelfmade" Cardia
- Jungle: MĂĄtyĂĄs "Frost" MĂĄtyus
- Midlane: Ronaldo "Ronaldo" Betea
- AD Carry: Darius "Yakkey" Eduard Bistrian
- Support: Alexandru "whiteinn" Kolozsvari
Europe West Qualifier
After defeating Norway in the opening round of their campaign, Germany comfortably swept past Belgium to reach the decisive winners' bracket match against the Netherlands. With the first Main Event spot at the Esports Nations Cup on the line, Joel "
Irrelevant" Scharoll and his teammates made quick work of Fabian "
" Diepstraten and the rest of the Dutch lineup, securing a dominant 2-0 victory.
Germany roster:
- Toplane: Joel "Irrelevant" Miro Scharoll
- Jungle: Seyit "Habubu" CĂŒce
- Midlane: Steven "Reeker" Chen
- AD Carry: Tim "Keduii" Willers
- Support: Philipp Samuel "Lilipp" Englert
Dropped into the lower bracket, the Netherlands met Belgium, led by Raphaël "
" Crabbé, in the match for the second and final qualification spot. After bouncing back from their earlier defeat to Germany, the Belgians kept their run alive with wins over Portugal and Switzerland. They carried that momentum into the final qualifier, where they defeated the Netherlands 2-0 to secure the last ticket to Riyadh.
Belgium roster:
- Toplane: Adam "Rayzorac" Chinkhoyev
- Jungle: Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau
- Midlane: Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer
- AD Carry: Pierre "Ăvangelyne" Sauvage
- Support: Raphaël "Targamas" Crabbé
Middle East & Africa Qualifier
Built around well-known names from the ERLs, particularly the LFL, Algeria was arguably the most anticipated team in the MEA qualifier, the largest of the seven regional qualifiers with 31 participants. After defeating Iraq in the opening round, the team went on to beat Cameroon, Georgia, and neighboring Morocco. In the winners' bracket final, with the first qualification spot on the line, Yanis "Striker" Kella and his teammates defeated Tunisia 2-0.
Algeria roster:
- Toplane: Mehdi "Potent" Ahmed Bouchaffra
- Jungle: Rayan "Kobs" Mahiddine
- Midlane: Kamil Bruno Mehdi Wahid "Kamiloo" Haudegond
- AD Carry: Khalil "Rin" Sahraoui
- Support: Aymen "Aymen" Zeghina
Tunisia was therefore given another chance in the lower bracket, where they faced Lebanon in the qualification match, the very same team they had sent to the lower bracket after a 1-0 victory in the quarterfinals. With their backs against the wall, the Lebanese squad, led by star AD Carry Sajed "
" Ziade, put together four straight wins over South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia to earn a rematch. In the end, despite taking the opening game, Lebanon was unable to hold on as Tunisia fought back, won the next two maps, and secured the final qualification spot.
Tunisia roster:
- Toplane: Raai "Chakroun" Chakroun
- Jungle: Haithem "Dean" Attia
- Midlane: Koussay "Koussay" Soltani
- AD Carry: Fares "Xicor" Saidana
- Support: Taieb "Ănsane" Kraiem
North America Qualifier
The Mexican National team came in and dominated from the get-go. Though the starting roster decided to field two role swaps, Ădgar Ali "seiya" Bracamontes MunguĂa and Guillermo Alfonso "VirusFx" Navarrete Uxul playing off-role, the selected players have a great list of achievements from the defunct LLA. The Aztecs beat the Dominican Republic and Jamaica in the first two rounds, and struggled to win the second match of their series against Guatemala. Mexico finished the tournament undefeated and became the first team from North America to qualify to the Main Event.
- Toplane: Ădgar Ali "seiya" Bracamontes MunguĂa
- Jungle: JesĂșs Alberto "Grell" Loya Trujillo
- Midlane: IvĂĄn "Skyy" GarcĂa Rivera
- AD Carry: Omar André "Gavotto" Gavotto
- Support: Guillermo Alfonso "VirusFx" Navarrete Uxul
On the other hand, Guatemala defeated El Salvador and Costa Rica en route to a qualifying match against Mexico. The Chapin National Team had an off-game when they first faced Mexico, yet Guatemala ultimately couldnât close a Game 2 they commanded for long periods. These forced a rematch with Costa Rica in the North Americansâ last qualifying match. After winning Game 1 and leading Game 2, Costa Rica seemed poised to take the last slot. However, the efforts of Ăscar Alberto "Putilt" Lobos Paredes and Luis Alfredo "Blind Walker" Avendaño Tobal helped the Chapines beat Costa Rica for the last spot in Riyadh.
Guatemala roster:
- Toplane: Ăscar Alberto "Putilt" Lobos Paredes
- Jungle: Luis Alfredo "Blind Walker" Avendaño Tobal
- Midlane: Pedro "Piyey" PĂ©rez
- AD Carry: Kevin "SunTiger" Hidalgo
- Support: Onier Menaldo "Onier" HernĂĄndez GĂłmez
South America Qualifier
Chile is one of the powerhouses of South America. This roster combines players with LLA experience and is spearheaded by Fluxo W7Mâs mid laner: Cristian SebastiĂĄn "
" Quispe Yampara. The Andeans found a great rhythm by defeating Ecuador and Uruguay in the first two rounds. For the qualifying series against Peru, Cody had to be replaced after departing for South Korea with his team, and Chile had to rely on a superb performance from substitute Cristopher Gustavo "
Strensh" Gonzalez Plaza to beat Peru and qualify for the Main Event unbeaten.
- Toplane: CristĂłbal "Zothve" ArrĂłspide
- Jungle: Mario JesĂșs "Neo" FernĂĄndez Garrido
- Midlane: Cristian Sebastiån "cody" Quispe Yampara
- AD Carry: Nicolås Andrés "Viciun" Bravo Canales
- Support: Diego Ăngel "Shu Hari" Placencia Mora
Chile thwarted Peruâs objective of reaching the Main Event, but they had one more try when they faced Uruguay for the last remaining spot from the South American qualifiers. On the other hand, after their loss against Chile, Uruguay had made a Loserâs Bracket run by beating Venezuela and Colombia. Led by one of the most historic junglers in Latin America, SebastiĂĄn Alonso "Oddie" Niño Zavaleta, the Andeans won the fixture 2-0 and claimed the last South American spot in the South American Regional Qualifiers.
Peru roster:
- Toplane: Brayan Erick "Brayaron" Pereda CĂłrdova
- Jungle: Sebastiån Alonso "Oddie" Niño Zavaleta
- Midlane: Antony Gabriel "Piqueos" Siapo Pérez
- AD Carry: Edwin "Scenari0" Tapia Vilca
- Support: Carlo Andre "Shiku" Carrion Zapata
