Source: KeSPA

The Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA, President Kim Young-man) announced on Wednesday, the 8th, that the regional qualifiers for the '18th President's Cup Amateur Esports Tournament' (President's Cup KeG) will begin across the country on Friday, July 17.

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea e-Sports Association, the President's Cup KeG is Korea's first national-level official amateur esports tournament, launched in 2007 to promote balanced regional development and expand the amateur esports base. Since being elevated to a President's Cup event in 2009, it has remained the only government-backed national amateur esports tournament to be held consistently for 20 years.

To date, approximately 37k amateur players have participated in the President's Cup KeG, with over 180 advancing to the professional stage. Notably, last year saw 9 League of Legends players and 2 FC Online players debut as professionals, proving that the President's Cup KeG has established itself as a premier gateway for amateur talent.

The 18th President's Cup KeG will feature the same four official titles as last year: ▲Eternal Return (Nimble Neuron), ▲Brawl Stars (Supercell), ▲FC Online (Nexon Korea), and ▲League of Legends (Riot Games). ▲Puyo Puyo eSports (Sega) has been newly adopted as a strategic title. As Puyo Puyo eSports is an official event for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, this tournament is expected to further revitalize the domestic esports scene.

Regional qualifiers to select representatives for the national finals will be held sequentially in local governments across the country, starting with Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on Friday, July 17, and concluding on Sunday, August 2. Qualifiers will be held online or offline depending on local circumstances, with each region selecting 1 team (3-4 members) for Eternal Return, 1 team (3 members) for Brawl Stars, 2 players for FC Online, and 1 team (5 members) for League of Legends. Further details are available on the official website (keg.e-sports.or.kr). Additionally, for the strategic title Puyo Puyo eSports, a separate online preliminary round will be held on Sunday, July 19, to select 8 finalists for the national championship.

The President's Cup KeG national finals, where regional representatives gather, will be held on Saturday, August 15, and Sunday, August 16, at the Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The region that wins the overall championship will be awarded the championship trophy and the honor of receiving the President's Award. The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award will be presented to the winning region for each official title. Furthermore, the top two finishers in FC Online will be granted a seed for the quarterfinals of the 'FC ONLINE FUTURES LEAGUE (FFL).' The total prize pool is ₩25.5 million.

The 18th President's Cup KeG is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and co-organized by the Korea e-Sports Association, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongju City, and the Gyeongju Cultural Foundation. It is sponsored by SK Telecom, Sidiz, MOTTA, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, and the Korea Creative Content Agency, with Nimble Neuron, Supercell, Nexon Korea, Riot Games, and Sega participating as game publishers.