ENC opens multiple qualification paths for 2026 debut
MANILA, Philippines — The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 is opening several routes to Riyadh as the Esports Foundation rolled out a qualification system aimed at bringing together more than 100,000 players from over 150 countries and territories across 16 titles.
Set from November 2-29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the tournament will determine its lineup through a mix of ENC Rankings, direct invitations, regional qualifiers, open-qualification events and wildcard slots, depending on the game.
At the center of the system are the ENC Rankings, which track player performances in major international tournaments and translate them into standings for each country or territory. Teams that finish at the top of the rankings by each title’s cutoff date will receive direct invitations to the ENC Finals, while others will have to qualify through regional competitions.
The rankings were introduced alongside the ENC Team Builder, an interactive platform that allows fans to create potential national lineups and test whether they would be strong enough to secure direct qualification.
“With the ENC Rankings and Team Builder, we’re putting real structure behind how countries and territories qualify and compete. Performance drives selection, but we’re also opening that process up, so players understand what it takes to qualify and fans can engage in a much more meaningful way. This is about making the path to representing your nation transparent, competitive and something the whole community can be part of,” said Mike McCabe, deputy CEO and COO of the Esports Foundation.
Across titles, the Road to ENC combines multiple qualification models.
In team-based games such as Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Valorant and Honor of Kings, national coaches submitted rosters that will determine ranking points and whether teams qualify directly or move into regional qualifiers.
Other titles follow different systems. In Counter-Strike 2 and Apex Legends, players must form their own rosters and compete through open qualifiers, while games like Street Fighter 6 will use solo-player qualification even though they will be played in team format at the finals. Solo titles such as Chess and EA SPORTS FC will combine ranking-based invites with open qualifiers, allowing players to compete directly for limited national slots.
To further expand access, the ENC also introduced wildcard mechanisms, including Solidarity Slots, Host Region Slots and Special Invites.
Solidarity Slots are intended for underrepresented countries and territories, providing a pathway into the tournament based on competitive strength and regional balance. Host Region Slots will guarantee representation for Gulf Cooperation Council nations, while Special Invites will address cases where teams are unable to participate through standard qualification systems due to technical or structural issues.
“The Road to ENC is designed to reflect how esports actually operates globally. Different games, regions and communities require different qualification models, whether through direct national team selection by country and territory, open qualifiers or player-built rosters. Bringing those systems together into one international structure is what allows the ENC to create the broadest possible competitive footprint for esports,” said Fabian Scheuermann, chief games officer at the Esports Foundation.
Wildcard participants will receive full travel and accommodation support and will compete under the same conditions as all other qualified teams at the ENC Finals.
For Team Philippines, early projections show a strong position in mobile titles and mixed results elsewhere.
The country currently ranks first in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and third in Honor of Kings, placing it in strong contention for direct qualification, while it sits 11th in Dota 2 and Valorant. The Philippines is further down in PUBG Mobile (46th), League of Legends (56th) and Chess (63rd), leaving those teams likely to rely on qualifiers or alternative pathways to reach Riyadh.
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