What could South Korea’s roster look like for the Esports Nations Cup?

The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) will feature League of Legends among its titles and will take place in Saudi Arabia from November 21 to 29. A total of 32 national teams will compete for a $1.5 million prize pool. The tournament lineup will include 16 directly invited nations, 14 teams qualifying through regional qualifiers, and two Wild Card entries.

Out of the 32 nations set to compete, if there is one that stands out as inevitable and the clear favorite, it is South Korea. The most decorated region in Worlds history, the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) remains the most competitive league in the global circuit, and Korean players are spread across the world thanks to their consistently elite level.

Sheep Esports, therefore, takes a closer look at what the Korean roster could potentially look like for this competition. It is worth noting that teams will not be allowed to field more than three players from the same organization, meaning a full lineup would not be permitted, even if the idea is tempting.

A roster that Korea could technically field is however the legendary ZOFGK, double world champions together at T1 before and moved to HLE. Korea is without a doubt the country with the deepest player pool and could field four different rosters in the same competition, with all four squads being strong favorites to win the tournament.

Choosing the best LCK player in each role is no easy task, and the toplane is no exception. Over the past few splits, has established himself as the best in the world at the position, making him the most logical pick as the number one option.

Other names also deserve consideration, such as two-time world champion Zeus, reigning world champion , or even , who has been enjoying a strong start to the year.

Who else but to take over the Korean jungle? At just 23 years old, the three-time world champion stands as one of the strongest candidates to represent his country.

Other names obviously deserve a mention as well. , , and are all compelling options and could feature as substitutes, as each country will be allowed to register two subs. Korean players outside the LCK could also be selected, such as .

Probably the most stacked and coveted role in the world, the Korean midlane is a true arena where the very best players clash. Organizing an event like the ENC without , the face of League of Legends, would feel almost unthinkable.

As seen at the most recent Asian Games, could once again attend alongside his legendary compatriot. LCK Player of the Year 2025 is also a towering figure in the midlane conversation, just like . Korea possesses an almost endless pool of elite talent, with players ready to carry their nation’s colors on the international stage.

Here’s another hugely stacked role: the botlane would probably see taking the position. We can’t forget triple World Champion Gumayusi, and there’s also a Korean player outside the LCK, , who recently joined Bilibili Gaming in the LPL.

Other younger names are also performing at a high level. The 2025 LCK Rookie of the Year has continued his momentum with a strong start to the year, and , the new T1 ADC, multiple LCK champion and former MSI winner with Gen.G, could also be part of the roster.

For the support role, four names stand out: first, the player who reinvented the role, . Then come names like Gen.G’s , Hanwha Life Esports’ , and Anyone’s Legend’s .

South Korea therefore has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to building its roster for the ENC, and this process will undoubtedly be a headache for the head coach of the national League of Legends team. Moreover, this will not be the country’s first international tournament played in a national team format, as South Korea previously competed in the Asian Games in 2018 and 2022, winning the most recent edition with Zeus, Kanavi, Faker, Ruler, Keria, with Chovy as substitute, and Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun as Head Coach.

Furthermore, a new edition of the Asian Games will take place this year in Japan, and only players who have participated in the KeSPA Cup should be eligible to represent their country. Former KT Rolster coach Kang "Hirai" Dong-hoon will serve as the team’s HC for the Asian competition — and could therefore retain this role for the ENC as well.

Disregarding any potential eligibility rule imposed by the esport federation, South Korea’s lineup for the Esports Nation Cup should, for Sheep Esports, be a mix of Gen.G and T1 players, including three of the reigning world champions from the most successful esports organization in history:

-Toplane: Kim “Kiin” Gi-in
- Jungle: Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun
- Midlane: Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok
- AD Carry: Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk
- Support: Ryu “Keria” Min-seok