The roster deadline for the Esports Nations Cup is coming up, and we now have a better idea of which countries will compete in League of Legends.
The latest tournament from the Esports World Cup Foundation will see countries across multiple esports in one big international event.
A total of 32 nations will compete in the League of Legends portion, yet almost double that have already confirmed their ENC LoL coaches.
And only 16 will receive a direct invite based on competitive rankings of the roster, while the rest will have to compete in qualifiers.
Now, the official ENC rulebook has been found by Sheep Esports and gives us an idea of who will compete in Riyadh come November.
ENC National Ranking Explained
To decide which nations will receive the lucrative invites, the EWCF will judge the recent competitive success of each roster’s top five players and give that roster a combined score.
This scoring system will take a look at competitive results from October 14, 2025, to June 14, 2026, excluding the upcoming LoL Mid-Season Invitational.
Players will earn points for their performances across three tiers of events: S (international), A (major region splits), and B tier (lower regional and national leagues).
The ranking and scoring system is as follows:
| Ranking | Tier S (e.g., Worlds, First Stand) | Tier A (Major Regional Splits) | Tier B (Regional/National Leagues) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1.200 | 600 | 300 |
| 2nd | 800 | 400 | 200 |
| 3rd | 600 | 300 | 150 |
| 4th | 400 | 200 | 100 |
| 5th-6th | 300 | 150 | |
| 7th-8th | 200 | 100 | |
| 9th-10th | 100 | ||
| 11th-12th | 50 |
However, it’s important to note that not every official LoL tournament will count towards this. For example, in Tier B, only the first split of the year will count, unlike Tier A which takes Spring into account.
The tournaments that contribute towards this scoring is as follows:
Tier S
- 2026 First Stand Tournament
- 2025 World Championships
Tier A
- LCK Cup 2026 & LCK Road to MSI
- LCP Split 1 & 2
- LEC 2026 Versus & Spring
- CBLOL Cup 2026 & Split 1
- LCS 2026 Lock-In & Spring
- LPL Split 1 & 2
Tier B
- LCK CL Kickoff 2026
- LJL 2026 Winter Series
- VCS 2026 Spring
- Liga Regional Sur 2026 Split 1
- Liga Regional Norte 2026 Split 1
- NACL 2026 Spring
- Circuito Desafiante 2026 Split 1
- LFL 2026 Invitational
- Prime League 2026 Winter
- Liga Española de League of Legends 2026 Winter
- NLC 2026 Winter
- TCL 2026 Winter
- Arabian League 2026 Winter
- LIT 2026 Winter
- Hellenic Legends League 2026 Winter
- Rift Legends 2026 Winter
- Hitpoint Masters 2026 Winter
- Road of Legends 2026 Winter Esports
- Balkan League 2026 Winter
- LPLOL 2026 Winter
With this system, South Korea would be a shoo-in for a direct invite, yet Korea may drop out of the ENC after disputes with KeSPA.
Which regions are you excited to see rosters for? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.
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