The team slots for the
2026 Esports World Cup (EWC) for
League of Legends were announced on Thursday, February 19 by the organizers. The tournament will take place from July 15 to 19 in Riyadh, while the prize pool will remain the same as last year’s edition,
with $2 million to be shared among the participating teams. Only one team has already qualified:
the 2025 champions, Gen.G.
The 16 teams will be split into four GSL-style groups of four, with opening matches played as best-of-ones and elimination games as best-of-threes. In this GSL group stage, two wins are enough to qualify for the playoffs, two losses mean elimination, and teams face opponents with the same record as their own. The top two teams from each group will therefore advance to the single-elimination playoff bracket, played in best-of-threes except for the best-of-five grand final. The winner will qualify for the Esports World Cup 2027.
Aside from Gen.G, the 15 remaining teams have yet to be confirmed. The Spring champions from the six major regions will be invited to the
EWC 2026, for the LCK, this will be the best team from the Road to MSI, as there is no Spring Split. The six remaining slots will be decided through online qualifiers, with half of the regions, Korea, China, and EMEA, sending two teams via this route. Korea will therefore be the most represented region, with four teams in total.
It is still unclear whether the qualifiers will be limited to Tier 1 teams or if ERL squads will be allowed to compete. Last year in
VALORANT, only VCT teams were eligible, which could suggest a similar approach. However, participation from leagues such as the CD, PCS, VCS, or EMEA Masters cannot be ruled out.
