The organizers of the 2026 Demacia Cup have announced that the Chinese event will be a global event, inviting mid-table teams from every major League of Legends region.
Jointly hosted by TJ Sports and Huya Inc., the event will take place from October 3 to October 17, acting as a competitive test for those who missed out on Worlds 2026.
League of Legends 2026 Demacia Cup becomes International Invitational
The 2026 Demacia Cup now features a Global Invite system that will see the typically Chinese event transformed into an international event, allowing teams that narrowly missed Worlds to test their skills and gain international experience.
For each region, invited teams will be selected from those that have not qualified for Worlds 2026, with invitations going to the highest-ranked eligible teams based on the respective region’s season standings or Championship Points system.
For the LPL and LCP, participating teams will be determined based on their 2026 Championship Points standings. Due to scheduling considerations in the CBLOL, its invitation will instead go to the 4th-place team in the region. If an invited team declines to participate, the invite will defer to the next eligible team according to the qualification rules.
The regional split for the 2026 Demacia Cup is as follows:
- LPL: 5th, 6th, and 7th place by Championship Points
- LCK: 5th, 6th, and 7th
- LEC: 4th and 5th
- LCS: 4th and 5th
- LCP: 4th by Championship Points
- CBLOL: 4th
That makes 12 teams total across League of Legends’ major leagues in China, Korea, EMEA, North America, Pacific, and South America.
Regional slot allocations have been determined by results at MSI 2026. The regions that placed 1st and 2nd receive 3 slots each, the 3rd and 4th place receive 2 slots each, and all remaining regions receive 1 slot each.
This year’s Demacia Cup will officially kick off on October 3, utilizing a hybrid online and offline format. Following intense competition during the online phase, the top eight teams will advance to the offline finals in October, hosted at the JDG home venue in Beijing, to battle for the championship title.
The tournament boasts a total prize pool of 1.5 million RMB (approx. $223). The exact teams and rosters will follow as final placements are confirmed across the Riot regional leagues.
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Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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