The Esports Foundation (EF) confirmed this Thursday the appointment of more than 700 Game Coaches representing National Team Partners (NTPs) from over 100 nations and territories for the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC) — the global nation-based esports competition set to debut in Riyadh from November 2 to 29, 2026.
The announcement marks the official start of team roster selections, with coaches now responsible for identifying players, defining team strategy, and building competitive lineups. Final rosters are due by May 10.
The League of Legends competition runs from November 21 to 29, with coaching staffs being announced nation by nation. Most of League of Legends biggest scenes are represented, with coaches currently or recently active in the LEC, LCS, LCK, LCP, CBLOL and ERLs.
The ENC will feature 32 League of Legends teams: 8 directly seeded into the Group Stage, 8 entering through Play-Ins and 16 coming from the qualifiers. Direct qualification is determined by a ranking system that evaluates each roster based on its players.
Here are the announcements made so far, along with the last team each coach worked for.
Europe
- France — (Karmine Corp)
