Sources: Italy appoints League of Legends roster for the Esports Nations Cup

Will there be a World Cup featuring Italy in 2026? Not in football, at least. On the League of Legends side, however, the Squadra Azzurra will attempt to defend its colors at the Esports Nations Cup, set to take place from November 21 to 29, under the leadership of Italian Head Coach Fabrizio “Gine” Ginestroni, who will field the following roster:

AD Carry Achille “Tyrone” Matrone and Support Gabriele “Shredder” Iannarelli are also part of the roster as substitutes for Ryuk and Click.

Jungler Zhao "Shad0w" Zhi-Qiang is the strongest active player of Italian background. Currently competing with CTBC Flying Oyster in the LCP, he previously played in both the LEC with MAD Lions and the LPL with Bilibili Gaming, winning the league title with the latter.

Born in Milan to Chinese parents, Shad0w faced a significant off-field situation last year in the LFL when a fan reported him to Chinese immigration authorities in August 2025. An investigation confirmed he held an Italian passport — and under Chinese law, citizens born abroad must choose a single citizenship by the age of 18. Because Shad0w had held and used an Italian passport, he lost his Chinese citizenship, creating an unexpected hurdle for BLG, who had to secure a work visa for him to compete as an import. When contacted by Italy for the ENC, Shad0w declined to participate.

Another notable absence is current Karmine Corp Blue Toplaner Xu "Tao" Hongtao Alessandro, who competed in LEC Versus earlier this year. Unlike Shad0w, Tao was willing to play; however, also born to Chinese parents, the young toplaner ran into the opposite issue regarding his Italian citizenship, ultimately preventing him from competing.

Italy currently holds 1,050 points, distributed as follows:

With their current total, a top 16 finish in the overall standings is extremely unlikely, meaning Italy will head to the Europe West Qualifiers in June, facing off against nations such as Portugal and Germany. To reach the main event in Riyadh, they will need a top 2 finish.

In the toplane, Italy has called upon Gabbo, who hasn't competed professionally since the end of 2023. He makes his return to represent his country, currently sitting at Master’s elo in solo queue. The jungle role goes to Goliah, an Italian-Algerian player currently without a team who peaked at 1570 LP in solo queue this year. He also briefly played under Gine's leadership at The Gulls Esports at the end of 2025.

The midlane will be occupied by Vigil, reigning Italian League (LIT) champion with HMBLE. He reunites with club teammates Tyrone and Click within this roster, having also previously played alongside Shredder — and having already worked with Head Coach Gine in the past.

In the botlane, the starting duo will be Ryuk, an Italian player born in the German-speaking part of Italy. He is currently playing for TeamOrangeGaming in the German ERL. He will be paired with Italian ERL veteran Click, carried over from HMBLE. Their respective substitutes are Tyrone, also from HMBLE, and Shredder, who competes for GMBLERS Esports and finished top 3 in the Winter season.