ENC reveals LoL direct invites; Team GB to start June 19

The Esports Nations Cup has confirmed 16 national teams with direct qualification for the League of Legends event at the Riyadh finals in November. A further 110 nations will contest regional qualifiers for remaining Play-in places, which together will form a 24-team Play-in bracket.

Direct places were allocated based on individual player performances and registered nationalities over the past year. The top eight nations receive direct entry to the Group Stage. Nations ranked nine to 16 are granted byes into the Play-ins. The remaining invited nations must progress through regional qualifying stages to reach the Play-ins.

China and South Korea lead the direct-invite list. China’s roster uses the BLG core of Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin, Zhuo “Knight” Ding and Luo “ON” Wen-Jun, supplemented by Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo and Gao “Tian” Tian-Liang from Top Esports. South Korea’s lineup features Choi “Zeus” Woo-je, Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok.

Other direct-qualified teams include France, Vietnam, Brazil, the United States, Chinese Taipei and Denmark. France’s roster lists Adam “Skewmond”, Ilias “nuc” Bizriken, Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert and Théo “Zoelys” Le Scornec. Vietnam’s roster includes Lê “SofM” Quang Duy and Hoàng “Eddie” Công Nghĩa. Brazil’s squad features Arthur “Tutsz” Peixoto Machado and Andrey “Ayu” Saraiva. The United States entry names Niship “Dhokla” Doshi, Robert “Blaber” Huang, Eain “APA” Stearns, Sean “Yeon” Sung and Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun. Chinese Taipei lists Tsai “HongQ” Ming-Hong and Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-Chuan. Denmark’s roster includes Martin “Wunder” Hansen, Rasmus “Caps” Winther, Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen, Casper “Cboi” Simonsen and Mads “Doss” Schwartz.

Nations ranked nine through 16 will enter the Play-ins directly and bypass early regional rounds. Those countries are Turkey, Greece, Poland, Argentina, Spain, Canada, Sweden and Czechia. Notable players on those rosters include Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski and Kacper “Inspired” Słoma for Poland; Marek “Humanoid” Brázda and Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság for Czechia; and Víctor “Flakked” Lirola and members of the MKOI core for Spain.

Team GB announced its national roster ahead of the EU West qualifier, which runs from June 19 at 17:00 BST to June 21. The British five are Jordan “Shikari” Pointon, Matthew Luke “Deadly” Smith, Raymond “Kasing” Tsang, Aslan “White” Panglose and Ronan “Chemera” Stewart. A sixth player appears as BZ; that identity could not be verified online. Coaching staff listed include Mac, described as Vitality’s coach of coaches, and former professional Marcin “Maxlore” Jankowski. Team GB opens the EUW bracket against Austria in a double-elimination format hosted on FACEIT. Two EUW slots advance to the Play-ins.

The Play-in field will total 24 teams: the eight Play-in byes, additional regional qualifiers from each region, a wildcard spot and a host-region slot if not already qualified. The ENC has issued direct invites in Rocket League and Rainbow Six Siege; League of Legends and Dota 2 teams face larger regional qualifying paths.

Regional qualifying matches will take place over the summer to determine the remainder of the Play-in participants. The Group Stage line-ups for Riyadh will be set once the Play-ins conclude and all qualifying slots are filled.