Key details
WSCI 2026 will run from September 20-October 2. Each of the five participating regions - China, Korea, APAC, Americas, and EMEA - will utilize a mix of qualification pathways to identify 3 participating teams per region. These 15 participants will join with the Asia Masters Champion to complete the field. Teams will be placed into three seeding pools. The group draw will place one team from Pool 1, one team…
WSCI will begin with a four-group stage September 20–25. Each group will contain four teams, and every team will play every other team twice in a double round-robin format. All group-stage matches will be best-of-one for a total of 48 matches across six match days, with eight matches played each day. The top two teams from each group will advance, flowing into an eight-team championship bracket.
At present, Tier 2 is a key feature of the LoL Esports competitive pipeline. It gives emerging players a place to develop, gives teams an opportunity to build and invest in future talent, and helps bridge amateur and pro play. As Riot looks to strengthen that pipeline, we are focused on creating more opportunities for developing players and their teams to challenge themselves in more meaningful ways.
International competition can play an important role in that development. Playing against unfamiliar opponents exposes teams to different styles, strategies, and competitive environments, while giving players the experience of performing in a higher stakes environment. Rather than building a new tournament from the ground up, we're partnering with TJ Sports to expand Asia Masters and bring together teams from across Korea, EMEA, China, APAC, and the Americas, as well as…