League of Legends can be a part of the Esports Nations Cup, a worldwide nationwide group competitors going down November 2–29 in Saudi Arabia, in line with stories.
The match marks a brand new initiative beneath the Esports World Cup branding, giving nations the possibility to compete in a worldwide format much like conventional sporting occasions.
Promotional paintings for the Esports Nations Cup 2026, scheduled for November 2–29 in Saudi Arabia. Picture Credit score: Esports Nations Cup
ENC 2026 Anticipated to Function 24–32 Nationwide Groups
Sheep Esports stories that the League of Legends match at ENC 2026 will characteristic between 24 and 32 nationwide groups. That is primarily based on introduced codecs for Counter-Strike 2, Cellular Legends: Bang Bang, and Rainbow Six Siege.
Half of the collaborating nations will obtain direct invites primarily based on gamers’ annual efficiency and world leaderboard rankings. The Esports World Cup Basis (EWCF) will finalize the rankings throughout summer time 2026, simply earlier than continental qualification tournaments start.
The remaining spots can be determined by continental qualifiers and wildcard slots. Continental qualifiers are anticipated to comply with patterns established for different introduced titles, although the EWCF has not but confirmed particular regional breakdowns for League of Legends.
Three-Participant-Per-Membership Rule Prevents Roster Stacking
No nation might ship greater than three gamers from the identical membership to Saudi Arabia, in line with laws revealed by the Esports World Cup Basis. For instance, T1’s full roster can’t signify South Korea, and no European nation can ship 4 gamers from the identical group.
Every nation is allowed two substitutes. The three-player membership restriction additionally applies to substitute gamers.
The membership restriction will come into impact between three and 6 months earlier than qualifiers start. Gamers should maintain the passport of the nation they signify for a minimum of one full 12 months previous to the roster lock, set for April 30 at 11:59 PM AST. Coaches should be chosen earlier than March 29, 2026.
Format Differs From Asian Video games and Overwatch World Cup
The three-player restriction operates equally to the initially deliberate Rainbow Six World Cup, which by no means occurred and would have restricted groups to 2 gamers per group.
Nevertheless, it differs considerably from different national-themed occasions. The Overwatch World Cup makes use of hand-picked gamers chosen by group votes, with no membership restrictions. The 2023 Asian Video games featured League of Legends nationwide groups with no participant limitations, permitting South Korea to discipline three T1 gamers alongside two JD Gaming gamers.
Main areas reminiscent of China and South Korea will probably discipline sturdy nationwide groups drawn from the League of Legends Professional League (LPL) and League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), respectively.
Europe presents a very fascinating situation, as many nations have established nationwide leagues. Nations reminiscent of France and Spain might discipline aggressive rosters, whereas smaller nations might have to qualify by continental tournaments.
Undecided we’ll see League of Legends “coming house” anytime quickly, although.
