Why aren’t Team Liquid and Top Esports at LoL EWC?

The Esports World Cup’s second LoL tournament is set to begin tomorrow, and those watching will look to see the return of nearly every MSI-contending team. Only, some of those teams, which had such interesting runs at the prior tourney, won’t be returning just yet. Those include teams like the LCS’ Team Liquid and LPL’s Top Esports, the former a Play-Ins round 2 eliminee, and the latter an underperformer in the Bracket Stage. The core reason teams like TL and TES won’t be attending is the EWC qualifiers system. While MSI operates on an invitational basis, letting in the teams that perform best in their regional leagues, the EWC instead holds a separate qualifying tournament for each region.

For North America, that qualifier came right in the middle of the LCS’ Spring Split, and saw all eight teams hold a very quick double-elimination bracket that largely did not reflect the playoffs to come just after. This alternate-timeline-feeling bracket saw LYON, who perhaps perform better under the “bright lights” of more official Riot events, and who had a stellar run at MSI, fall 0-2 to FlyQuest and 0-2 to Team Liquid to get knocked out in short order. Team Liquid then lost to FlyQuest, who lost in finals to 5th-place-in-ensuing-playoffs team Sentinels. This means that Team Liquid, knocked out early, won’t be attending EWC whatsoever, though LYON do still get a qualification in from having won the split afterwards. It does mean, that in Team Liquid’s stead, Sentinels will be coming to EWC, marking the first international appearance for players like , and another of countless appearances for .

China’s LPL also had such a tournament, after their playoffs had concluded. TES’ run here was, despite having just made finals in the playoffs, an 0-2 to Anyone’s Legend followed by an 0-2 to Invictus Gaming. This quick knockout may have precipitated their MSI run, which saw them lose to Europe’s G2 Esports and Vietnam’s Team Secret Whales early on in the Bracket Stage. And while TES’ losses prevent them from attending EWC LoL this year, the winners of the qualifier, AL and JD Gaming, will be arriving instead.

EMEA’s tournament ended up with the same two LEC representatives that qualified to MSI, G2 and Karmine Corp, making it in. But since G2 went on to also qualify as winners of the LEC split that followed, third-performing Movistar KOI will be attending EWC as well. Also debuting at EWC, without having played at MSI, include the CBLOL’s LØS and the LCK’s Dplus Kia, who made it through their respective qualifiers, as well as 2025 EWC LoL champion Gen.G. LØS, AL, and the returning Team Secret Whales will be playing as MIBR.LOS, AG.AL, and Team Secret, (no whales,) respectively. All these teams will debut in the tournament starting July 15th in Paris, France.