With the qualification phase now complete, 31 of the 32 teams set to compete at the
Esports Nations Cup from November 21 to 29 have been confirmed. The only remaining spot is the "Solidarity Slot," a wildcard berth intended for a nation without a large esports ecosystem or significant international representation. The recipient of that final invitation is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, the vast majority of qualified teams and their rosters of five starters and two substitutes, have already been revealed. Looking across those lineups, one organization stands out in particular:
. The multiple-time
LEC champions are the only team to have all five members of their starting roster represented at the tournament.
Enough points to skip the Qualifiers
Following their performances at First Stand, each G2 player contributed 2,250 qualification points to their respective nations, effectively securing direct qualification without the need to participate in the regional qualifiers. Furthermore, with Europe being the most represented continent at the event, boasting twelve participating teams, it is hardly surprising to see European players feature more prominently than their Korean or Chinese counterparts, split up in the best LPL and LCK teams.
As a result, toplaner
will compete in the play-in stage with Turkey, where he could eventually cross paths with
and Greece. Directly qualified for the group stage,
will await his teammates with Denmark, while
will do the same for France.
G2 NORD also represented
The only uncertainty surrounds
. Despite being included among France's seven selected players, his participation is not guaranteed, as he remains in competition with Caliste “
Caliste” Henry-Hennebert for the starting AD Carry position. French team manager Bora “
YellOwStaR” Kim confirmed on OTP that the starting spot will ultimately go to whichever player proves most deserving.
If G2 NORD's players are also taken into account, the organization will have a total of eight representatives at the tournament. Toplaner Francesco “Shelfmade” Cardia (Romania), AD Carry Khalil “Rin” Sahraoui, and support Timo “Tockimo” Bock have all been selected by their respective national teams. In other words, only midlaner Alex “Toasty” Chea was the only one to not be called up by his country, the United States. Meanwhile, Mark “Markoon” van Woensel's Netherlands fell just short of qualification, suffering defeats to Germany and Belgium in the final stages of the qualification process.
