The Esports Foundation announced on the 26th that it has completed the online regional qualifiers for the 'League of Legends' event of the 'Esports Nations Cup 2026,' an international esports tournament.

The 'Esports Nations Cup 2026' is an international esports tournament set to be held for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this November. A total of 32 countries will participate in the 'League of Legends' event.

The teams advancing to the main tournament are determined through a combination of invitations and regional qualifiers. Based on the ENC rankings calculated from previous official Riot Games tournament results, 16 countries and regions received direct entry. They are joined by 14 teams that successfully navigated the regional qualifiers in Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East and Africa, North and South America, and Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Saudi Arabia will join the main tournament as the host region wildcard, having secured the next-highest rank in the Middle East and Africa regional qualifiers. The final main tournament slot, the 'Solidarity Wildcard,' is reserved for underserved esports regions and will be announced at the end of August, following the conclusion of qualifiers for all events.

Several countries secured their spots in the main tournament after hard-fought regional qualifiers. New Zealand, supported by their national team partner, traveled to Malaysia to compete and defeated Singapore 2-0 in the Southeast Asia and Oceania qualifiers. Mongolia secured one of the two tickets allocated to Asia with a 2-1 comeback victory against Japan in the losers' bracket.

Guatemala also claimed the final main tournament spot in the North American regional qualifiers. After dropping the first set on the final day and trailing early in the second, they pulled off a comeback win after a 50-minute match and went on to win the third set, securing their place in the main tournament.

In Western Europe, Belgium, led by 'Bwipo,' advanced to the main tournament. Although Belgium lost once to Germany—who had already secured direct entry—they went on to defeat Switzerland, Portugal, and the Netherlands in succession. Additionally, players from academy and regional leagues, including those from G2, Team Vitality, and Karmine Corp, successfully qualified for the main tournament representing Germany, Romania, and Algeria, respectively.

The 'League of Legends' main tournament for the 'Esports Nations Cup 2026' will begin on November 21 and conclude with the finals on November 29. The Play-In stage will feature a total of 24 teams, including the 9th to 16th ranked invited teams and the 16 teams that advanced through the qualifiers. The top two teams from each group will advance to the main Group stage to face the top 8 invited teams.

The top two teams from each group in the main Group stage will advance to a single-elimination playoff. The final winner will be determined through a best-of-five grand final.

The countries and regions that secured their spots in the main tournament through the online regional qualifiers are Hong Kong, Mongolia, Lithuania, Romania, Germany, Belgium, Algeria, Tunisia, Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Peru, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Saudi Arabia joins as the host region slot.

The list of teams advancing to the main tournament and the player lineups for each country can be found on the 'League of Legends' page of the official website.