Esports Nations Cup 2026 Announces Official Honor of Kings Rosters, Invites, and Qualifier Winners

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (July 20, 2026) - The Esports Foundation (EF) today confirmed the official roster submissions, direct invite recipients, and online regional qualifier winners for the Honor of Kings tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), the global nation-based esports competition set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2-29, 2026.

64 rosters representing 64 countries and territories have been officially submitted and confirmed for the Honor of Kings tournament. 24 of those rosters will compete at the ENC Finals, with 12 receiving a direct invitation through the ENC Rankings, which aggregates points earned by players based on their placements in official Honor of Kings events.

12 teams will receive a direct invitation through their ENC Ranking score:

MALAYSIA - Siang, MusangKing, ZhiHong, JR, Weipit, Xuan

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - Xin, XiaoXue, TingYue, jHao, WuYan, YiNuo

PHILIPPINES - Chammy1, Juschie, Tatsurii, Daniii, Chazz, Azar, NA

BRAZIL - Freaks, Abh, 0Ne, Lefy, Vilao1, Dani, ySacer

REPUBLIC OF KOREA - KYoung9, HAKU, Illusion, SIRI, Fey

INDONESIA - Senko, Enyx, Bal, Nev, SRD, Zaan

ITALY - TGold, Nighty, Luxi, Raiiku, KoZy, Sam, Higan

FRANCE - Clue, Nabil, Wawa, Inua, Benji, P1ggy, Budei

GERMANY - Vann, Hailang, 3005, Another, HengeZ, Jasch, Lianorn

CAMBODIA - Chigiri, Shimo, Stark1ng, Yhwach, BOYMOND, Kingkriz, SuGi

HONG KONG, CHINA - Myosotis, Snow, L, Zaiz, Lived, GGbond, Fable

THAILAND - Yuseong, Valdus, Bandsjaaa, VVV, TAOZ, Syndicate

In addition to these 12 invited countries and territories, 10 more teams earned their spot in the main event through online regional qualifiers across North America & Latin America North, Latin America South, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Central & East Asia, Southeast Asia & Oceania, and South Asia. An additional slot has gone to the team representing Saudi Arabia, who secured the Host Region Wildcard as the next highest-placing competitor from the GCC region.

The final slots will be determined by a Special Invite to the top team from India, and one Solidarity Wildcard slot for an underrepresented region to compete on the world stage, which will be announced at the end of August once all ENC qualifiers have been completed.

Here’s the full list of countries and territories that qualified through online regional qualifiers:

North America & Latin America North: TBD

Latin America South: Argentina

Western Europe: Spain

Eastern Europe: Türkiye

Middle East: Iraq

Africa: Tunisia

Central & East Asia: Kazakhstan

Southeast Asia & Oceania: Myanmar

South Asia: Bangladesh

Host Region Slot: Saudi Arabia

Expectations are sky high for the roster representing Malaysia, who will be driven by a prolific Club trio in Siang, ZhiHong, and JR, stepping up on behalf of Aurora Gaming. This trio, who coincidentally were playing under the All Gamers banner themselves earlier this year, will be joined by ROC Esports duo Xuan and Weipit, as well as Geekay Esports’ MusangKing, who reunites with multiple teammates with whom he won an International Championship with.

Just behind Malaysia near the top of the rankings is a team that should surprise no one. The People’s Republic of China has been the dominant region in Honor of Kings, and they are fielding an all-star team at ENC. Highlighting the team is AG Super Play star YiNuo, one of the most influential and decorated Honor of Kings players in the world. The EWC 2025 winner and two-time King Pro League champion is joined by a championship-level core of domestic trophy winners and superstars: Kuaishou Gaming duo WuYan and jHao, Weibo Gaming’s TingYue, Talent Gaming’s XiaoXue, and Wolves’ Xin.

The consensus top European Honor of Kings roster playing for Virtus.pro is well represented across the invites, via Italian duo TGold and Nighty, German middle player Hailang, and French roamer Clue. VP’s first place result at the Honor of Kings Major League Spring 2026 this past March not only secured the Club a place at EWC 2026, but it also effectively guaranteed all its European players would represent their nations at ENC. While neither of these individual teams are consensus favorites at ENC, the top-level experience from their main stars is nothing to take lightly.

The online qualifiers saw a number of upsets and surprises. The United States of America defied the odds with a miraculous undefeated run, defeating Puerto Rico and Colombia before upsetting Mexico not once but twice to claim the North America & LATAM North spot, all without dropping a single game. Spain will compete at its first international HoK tournament after back-to-back flawless victories against Ireland.

The full list of qualified players and nations can be viewed directly on the Honor of Kings page of the ENC website.

The Honor of Kings tournament at ENC will begin on November 24 and will conclude with the Grand Final on November 29. The first stage will be a 24-team round-robin group stage featuring four groups of six teams. The top two teams from each group will advance to the playoffs, a 16-team single-elimination bracket concluding with the Grand Final.

About the Esports Nations Cup

The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is a biennial global esports competition created by the Esports Foundation (EF) that brings national pride to the world stage. Launching in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2026, the ENC will feature the world’s best players competing not for their clubs, but for their countries and territories, across a lineup of leading esports titles. Built in collaboration with game partners, clubs, and esports organizations, the ENC establishes the first recurring, large-scale platform for national teams in esports. Beyond competition, it aims to fuel fandom, inspire heroes, and provide sustainable pathways for nations, players, and partners to grow within the global esports ecosystem. esportsnationscup.com

Esports Nations Cup media contact:

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