Riot Games is adding another international stop to League of Legends’ 2026 calendar, with the World Star Challengers Invitational bringing top Tier 2 teams from the game’s major regions together from Sept. 20 through Oct. 2, 2026.
Alongside TJ Sports, we're bringing an international event to Tier 2! 16 teams from Asia, Europe, and the Americas will compete from September 20 – October 2.
Make sure to follow your regional Tier 2 social channels for more info, and read more at the link below for additional… pic.twitter.com/NaA6JS2RJL
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 3, 2026
Riot will run the first WSCI with tournament organizer TJ Sports. The event follows First Stand’s addition as a third major international competition last year, while the first Demacia Cup Global Invitational will also take place later in 2026 for teams that narrowly missed Worlds qualification. WSCI will instead focus on the strongest Tier 2 teams across the League of Legends ecosystem.
Sixteen teams will share the WSCI field
China, Korea, APAC, the Americas, and EMEA will each send three Tier 2 teams through regional qualification paths. Those 15 regional representatives will join the Asia Masters champion to create a 16-team field. Riot has said the representatives will be selected through a mix of qualification routes, but it has not explained the process for each region.
CBLoL has confirmed Vivo Keyd Stars Academy as Brazil’s representative.
World Star Challengers Invitational 2026: conheça a nova competição global do Tier 2 dos Esports do LoL
A @vivokeyd Academy será a representante brasileira no torneio!
Saiba todas as informações aqui: https://t.co/WEbumadpLY pic.twitter.com/Uzk2ZsbDMg
— CBLOL (@CBLOL) September 3, 2026
Solary and Galions from EMEA’s LFL, Bilibili Gaming Junior, EDward Gaming Youth Team, and ZSK from China’s LDL, plus Dplus Kia Challengers from Korea’s LCK CL, are also among the teams named so far. Nine spots remain open and will be decided through regional leagues.
[SOURCES] Teams already qualified for the World Stars Challengers Invitational:
🇫🇷 Solary
🇫🇷 Galions
🇧🇷 Vivo Keyd Stars Academy
🇨🇳 Bilibili Gaming Junior
🇨🇳 EDward Gaming Youth Team
🇨🇳 ZSK
🇰🇷 Dplus Kia ChallengersThe remaining 9 teams are still TBD via their regional leagues. pic.twitter.com/2dg3E0tiqL
— Sheep Esports (@Sheep_Esports) September 3, 2026
WSCI’s schedule creates an immediate overlap for EMEA teams and viewers. The event will run from Sept. 20 through Oct. 2, while EMEA Masters Summer 2026 is scheduled for Sept. 21 through Oct. 23. Fans have already raised concerns about the competing dates.
WSCI will open with groups before best-of-five knockouts
Competition will begin on Sept. 20 with four seeded groups of four and run through Sept. 25. Every team will play each opponent twice in best-of-one matches, producing 48 games across six match days with eight games scheduled each day.
Draw restrictions will prevent the groups from becoming too concentrated. Teams from Pools 1 and 2 that represent the same region cannot be placed in the same group, and no group can contain more than two teams from any one region.
The top two teams from each group will move into the Knockouts, sending eight teams into the championship bracket.
The knockout stage will run from Sept. 27 through Oct. 2 as a single-elimination bracket made up of best-of-five quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. Seven series will decide the champion, with the WSCI 2026 Final scheduled for Oct. 2. The final team standing will become the first WSCI champion.
Riot is treating WSCI as a Tier 2 pilot
Riot has described WSCI as a “pilot” for future international Tier 2 competitions. The event should give the publisher a clearer view of how these tournaments can support player development across different regional systems.
Riot says international opponents will add unfamiliar styles, strategies, and pressure that regional competition cannot provide on its own. For players developing outside the top professional leagues, WSCI will offer a rare opportunity to test themselves against teams from other regions.
Rather than create a separate tournament structure, Riot is working with TJ Sports to expand the existing Asia Masters framework. Coverage will run through regional Tier 2 social channels, while regional co-streamers will bring the matches to viewers around the world.
The first edition will give Riot and TJ Sports a global meeting point for Tier 2 teams before they assess how international competition can best support players and organizations trying to reach the professional level. That plan will face pressure before the opening match, since several EMEA-related qualification and tournament dates will overlap.
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League of Legends
Developed by Riot Games
League of Legends is a fast-paced, competitive online game that blends the speed and intensity of an RTS with RPG elements. Two teams of powerful champions, each with a unique design and playstyle, battle head-to-head across multiple battlefields and game modes. With an ever-expanding roster of champions, frequent updates and a thriving tournament scene, League of Legends offers endless replayability for players of every skill level.
- Genre Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, MOBA
- Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
- Perspective Bird view / Isometric
- Modes Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release October 27, 2009
- Publisher Riot Games, Tencent Holdings, GOA Games Services Ltd.
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Age Rating
