Probably the favorite to secure a spot through the Southeast Asia and Oceania qualifier, Australia is expected to be one of the teams competing in the final
VALORANT tournament of the
Esports Nations Cup this November in Riyadh. According to sources close to
Sheep Esports, the project will be led by Kale "
autumn" Dunne, the country's only representative currently competing at the Tier 1 level. Despite having him on the roster, the island nation does not appear to have enough points to finish among the 16 directly invited nations.
Joining him will be a trio of players from Bonkers, an Australian mix team, with Jackson "Minimise" White, Luis "LEW" Hibbert, and Shawn "KADIRI" Duhan, sources tell Sheep Esports. Runners-up in the first split of the Oceania league, the three players notably made a name for themselves at the end of 2025 by qualifying for and competing in Ascension Pacific under the E-KING banner. Their existing chemistry should be a major advantage for the Australian national team.
Qualifiers are mandatory for Australia
Having played for several Australian organizations but most notably in VCT China, Mohammad Ali "
Swerl" Kobraee is by far the most experienced player alongside autumn. The two competed against each other between 2024 and 2025 while Swerl was playing for NOVA Esports. Already revealed previously, Chris "
Elmapuddy" Tebbit, the former coach of Gen.G Esports and Fnatic who has been inactive since 2025, is expected to take on the same role for the Australian national team, with the goal of securing qualification for the final event.
As mentioned earlier, it appears highly unlikely that Australia will receive a direct invitation to the final stage of the ENC, which will take place in Saudi Arabia from November 8 to 15. Of the 32 nations competing in Riyadh, half will qualify directly through a proprietary points system created by the Esports Foundation, the organization behind both the Esports Nations Cup and the
Esports World Cup.
Based on points earned by players throughout the 2026 season, the final national ranking is determined by the five highest-scoring players among the seven selected representatives for each country. For Australia, autumn contributes the majority of the points, alongside Minimise, who notably won Challengers Southeast Asia Split 1 with Motiv Esports and brings in a significant amount of points as well. However, it is still not enough, meaning Australia will most likely have to qualify through one of the seven continental qualifiers that will determine 14 of the remaining 16 spots available for the VALORANT tournament.
Scheduled to take place from June 26 to 28, the qualifier will see Australia face neighboring nations for two qualification spots. In addition to the Southeast Asia and Oceania qualifier, six other tournaments will run simultaneously, each awarding two slots for the November event. Should Australia fail to qualify, the nation would then have to rely on a wildcard selection, a process that remains largely at the discretion of the Saudi organizers.
