The League of Legends regional qualifiers for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 begin on June 19th, with the Esports Foundation confirming the full competitive structure, broadcast plans and invitation timeline through its recently published qualifier rulebook.
Fourteen national teams will earn their spot at the Main Event through these online qualifiers, which run from June 19th through June 21st. The competition takes place ahead of the Main Event, scheduled for November 21st–29th, where thirty-two nations in total will battle for a share of the 1,500,000 USD prize pool.
Two slots per region across seven regions
The qualifiers are split across seven regions, each offering two slots. Those regions are North America, Central America and the Caribbean; South America; Europe West; Europe East; Middle East and Africa; Asia; and South East Asia and Oceania.
Every regional qualifier follows a double-elimination format. The best-performing roster from each nation advances until the region's slot allocation is filled. Seeding is determined by the ENC National Ranking, with higher-ranked teams receiving higher seeds. Teams absent from the ranking are placed into the remaining open positions through a random draw.
Roster announcements on June 18th
Sixteen of the thirty-two teams at the Main Event will receive direct invitations through the ENC Ranking system. The final two slots are awarded via Wildcards.
BO1 rly?