It is now official: 32 national teams will compete in
League of Legends from November 21 to 29 at the
Esports Nations Cup. The tournament, set to take place in Saudi Arabia and conceived as an Olympic-style event for esports, confirmed on Tuesday that Riot Games’ flagship MOBA will be among the featured titles,
as previously reported by Sheep Esports.
With a prize pool of $1.5 million at stake, the leading League of Legends nations from each region will contend for the title. The ENC has also outlined the competition’s intended format. A total of 32 teams will participate, comprising 16 directly invited nations, 14 teams advancing through qualifiers, and two Wild Card entries.
Which participants?
To determine the invited teams, the
ENC will establish a ranking of the top-performing nations based on the competitive level and results of the players selected for each national roster, with federations required to submit their lineups by April 30. As the organization explains, “
A nation’s ranking total is calculated by combining the points of the top three players on its submitted national roster.” This ranking will be finalized on June 14.
Nations not directly invited will compete in a qualification stage held from June 19 to 21 to determine the remaining participants. These teams will represent eight distinct regions: North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and Oceania, Asia, and the Middle East and Africa.
What format?
The main event, scheduled for the final week of the ENC—following the League of Legends Worlds—will unfold across three stages. The opening phase will consist of play-ins, featuring four groups of six teams, excluding the eight highest-ranked nations according to the ENC standings. Matches in this phase will be played in a double round-robin best-of-one format. The top eight teams will then advance to the Group Stage, where 16 teams in total will be divided into four groups of four, competing in a single round-robin best-of-three format. Finally, the playoffs will feature eight teams in a single-elimination bracket, with all matches played as best-of-three series, except for the grand final, which will be contested as a best-of-five. Further details regarding the composition of the national teams are expected in the coming months.
