Romania have found their Head Coach for League Of Legends, as Răzvan "Razvan" Nistor should take this role at the Esports Nations Cup if approved, sources tell Sheep Esports on Friday. At 27 years old, Razvan is currently coaching for NRG in the NACL alongside Joseph "Joey" Haslemann, with the team currently sitting first in the regular season at a score of 4-0.

Formerly a professional player, Razvan has been involved in coaching since his early days in 2017 with Origen ESP. He has gone through several teams such as Crvena zvezda, Evil Geniuses, and DarkZero Dragonsteel, while also having a few short stints as a toplaner and support, though coaching has always been the main focus of his career.

Another Romanian coach competing in North America, Dignitas’ Emanuel “Emi” Ursachi, could have also been considered for the role.

Several known names are elligible for Romania’s roster in League Of Legends. In the toplane, Andrei "" Pascu is viewed as a serious candidate despite the fact he has not played professionally for more than two years, with his last stint coming in early 2024 with GIANTX in the LEC. Another option could be G2 NORD toplaner Francesco "" Cardia, who is Romanian through his mother and is also eligible to represent Germany and Italy.

Similarly, former LEC player and one-time teammate of Odoamne, Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir, is also eligible. Now 26, the Romanian jungler is without a team in 2026 but would bring a wealth of experience to the lineup. A younger, and more unexpected, alternative is Christian “KryRa” Rahaian, currently jungler for Disguised. Though he has Romanian roots, he could also opt to represent Canada, his country of birth. Most expect him to choose Canada, as Romania lacks a midlaner on the level of Joseph Joon “Jojopyun” Pyun, making the Canadian lineup likely a more appealing option overall.

Indeed, Midlane is one of the roles where the country may struggle to find a skilled or experienced player. ERL Veteran Ronaldo "" Betea could be considered for the spot but other names such as Cristian "SQCRISTIAAN" Sevac are being considered.

Finally, in the bot lane, two promising AD carries from the LFL could be considered: Vitality.Bee’s Darius “Yakkey” Eduard Bistrian and Karmine Corp Blue’s Costin “Hazel” Pestrițu. Both are rising talents on the verge of a breakthrough, and given their similar profiles, this may be Romania’s toughest decision. Whoever is selected will most likely be paired with Alexandru “whiteinn” Kolozsvari, current support for Ici Japon Corp. Esport.

Scheduled from November 2 to 29 for its first edition in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, the nation-based competition, the largest in esports history, is expected to bring together thousands of players from around a hundred countries, competing across nearly 16 games. Alongside the League of Legends tournament, set to take place from November 21 to 29, there will also be nation-based competitions in VALORANT, Counter-Strike, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six: Siege. For Riot Games’ MOBA title, around 32 teams, each representing a nation, will compete on site.

Before that, the participants still need to be decided. The Esports Foundation, which oversees the ENC and the Esports World Cup (two separate events), has decided that 16 teams out of the 32 will qualify directly for the final tournament, based on the results of their representatives in Riot Games’ official competitive circuits. The other participants will have to go through seven regional qualifiers, each offering two spots. The remaining two slots will reportedly be allocated by the ENC in the form of wildcards, likely at the discretion of the event organizers.