Riot Games launches first-ever Tier 2 global tournament, WSCI

Riot Games and TJ Sports are joining forces for a new project. TJ Sports, which organizes the LPL, Asia Masters, and the upcoming International Demacia Cup, will work with Riot Games on the World Star Challengers Invitational, a new tournament putting Tier 2 teams from different regions in the spotlight. Sixteen teams will compete from September 20 to October 2.

The tournament will use the same format previously adopted at Worlds, with 16 teams divided into four groups of four. Each group will play a double round-robin of best-of-one matches, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage. The eight remaining teams will then compete in best-of-five series.

For the group draw, the teams will be divided into three pools, with each group consisting of one team from Pool 1, one from Pool 2 and two from Pool 3. Teams from Pools 1 and 2 representing the same region cannot be drawn into the same group, and no group may contain more than two teams from any one region.

The tournament will feature three representatives from five different regions, with three teams from LCK CL, three teams from LDL and three teams from EMEA. The Americas will be represented by one NACL team, one LRN/LRS team, and one Circuito Desafiante team. The APAC region, meanwhile, will send one team from PCS, one from LJL, and one from VCS. The sixteenth and final team will be the winner of the 2026 Asia Masters.

To determine which teams will participate in the competition, each region will be free to establish its own qualification system. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, EMEA will send and , the winners of the first two editions of EMEA Masters, based on their performances throughout the year. The third EMEA representative will be determined through a mini-qualifier featuring a select group of teams, with participants chosen based on their respective regions’ performances this year.

Vivo Keyd Stars Academy will also compete in the tournament as the sole representative of the Circuito Desafiante, Brazil's Tier 2 circuit, sources tell Sheep Esports, and also confirmed by Riot Games at the time of the announcement. This spot goes to the academy team that advanced the farthest in the championship, which is why the VKS Academy was selected.

The LDL, meanwhile, will send and , the academy teams of their respective LPL organizations, while have qualified following their victory at the Asia Masters.

While not mentioned in Riot Games’ press release, sources close to Sheep Esports indicate that the participating teams are expected to travel to South Korea for the tournament. Holding the event in South Korea would allow all teams to compete under the same ping conditions.

Riot Games is also considering holding future editions of the tournament in the coming years, although they may not necessarily take place at the end of the season.

With the WSCI scheduled for the end of September, overlapping with the announced dates for EMEA Masters, some teams have raised concerns that the tournament could lead to a delay in the start of EMEA Masters. However, Sheep Esports was unable to independently confirm whether the schedule will be changed.

A similar scheduling issue could arise in Brazil, where the region’s strongest Tier 2 team may be forced to miss the WSCI qualifiers due to its participation in the CBLOL Promotion tournament.

These scheduling conflicts highlight some of the challenges surrounding the inaugural edition of the WSCI, particularly given the limited space in the competitive calendar.

Update: The official EMEA Masters account has confirmed the information regarding the invited teams from EMEA.