As the world's best players are set to gather soon for the most prestigious competition in
League of Legends, many other renowned names will be left on the sidelines. With the number of spots at
Worlds being limited, some of the players currently competing in the
Demacia Cup Global Invitational would have deserved a place in the tournament, but their individual and collective performances ultimately proved insufficient.
To highlight some of the most notable absentees before fully turning our attention to the competition itself, Sheep Esports presents its All-Pro Team of players missing Worlds, with a maximum of one player selected from each team. It consists of toplaner Kaan "Naak Nako" Okan, jungler Enes "Rhilech" Uçan, midlaner Gwak "Bdd" Bo-sung, AD carry Chen "GALA" Wei, and support Liu "Crisp" Qingsong.
Toplaner: Naak Nako (Team Vitality)
The Turkish player is coming off a very strong individual season with
. Named the MVP of the LEC Spring Split regular season, he stood out through his laning ability and proficiency in one-on-one situations. However, he struggled to translate that advantage into an impact on the rest of his team, much as the team itself struggled to take the next step, ultimately explaining their absence from the competition. Despite this, Naak Nako remains one of the most talented players missing from the tournament.
Jungler: Rhilech (Natus Vincere)
Named LEC Rookie of the Year,
's Turkish jungler is coming off a season in which he was his team's primary carry. Undeniably talented despite being only in his first season at the Tier 1 level, he remained consistent throughout the year. He possesses a relatively uncommon profile in the LEC, with the ability to play carry-oriented champions, most notably his Aatrox, on which he recorded eight wins in nine games, as well as Zaahen, with six wins in the same number of games.
Midlaner: Bdd (KT Rolster)
One of the best players in the world is undoubtedly the most notable absentee from the competition. Once again, Bdd put together an excellent season, carrying much of
's success. After reaching the Worlds final with his team last year, he will not have the opportunity to return this time, having been eliminated by
Dplus KIA in a difficult series. He is partly paying the price for the individual struggles of some of his teammates, although, on an individual level, his status among the world's best players is beyond question.
AD Carry: GALA (JD Gaming)
One of China's most prominent ADCs on the international stage will also miss the competition this year. Although his individual performances have declined somewhat, he still reached the semi-finals of the
First Stand earlier in the year and the quarter-finals of the
Esports World Cup with
. Since 2021, however, he has not missed a single edition of Worlds. Even when he failed to progress beyond the tournament's Play-In Stage, as happened against T1, he had otherwise reached at least the quarter-finals in every edition.
Support: Crisp (LGD Gaming)
A 2019 World Champion and 2023 Worlds finalist, the Chinese support will miss the competition for the second consecutive year. After appearing to be in decline individually last year and spending part of the season without a team, he joined
for LPL Split 3 and played a significant role in the team's return to form. Although they ultimately failed to reach the Regional Finals, they still secured a place at the DCGI.
Honorable Mentions
Several other talented players could have made the team had they not been ruled out by our selection criteria. Among them is KT Rolster toplaner
, who has made considerable progress compared with previous years.
Team WE jungler
could also have earned a mention following a strong year and the major upset his team came close to pulling off in Split 2.
BNK FEARX's botlane, consisting of
and
, could likewise have received a mention, as could jungler
, who was instrumental in the team's performances this year.
