Esports Nations Cup 2026 Announces Dota 2 Invites

The Esports Foundation (EF) confirmed the official invites to the Dota 2 tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC). The global nation-based esports competition is set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2-29, 2026.

The Dota 2 tournament at ENC 2026 will consist of 32 teams fighting for their countries and for a generous prize pool of over US$1,500,000. Let's take a look at the finer details of the tournament and talk a bit about last-minute changes in the lineup.

What is 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.

ENC 2026: Tournament Organization

The Dota 2 tournament at ENC 2026 will consist of 32 teams: the 16 teams receiving a direct invite through the ENC Rankings, 14 teams through online Regional Qualifiers, and 2 through Wildcard slots.

Online Regional Qualifiers will be held from June 29 to July 2 across eight regions: North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, MENA + Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South + East Asia, and Southeast Asia + Oceania.

The final two Wildcard slots are reserved for the highest-performing host region representatives and a solidarity slot that will give underrepresented nations a path to compete in the tournament.

The first stage will consist of all 32 teams competing in a round-robin group stage, featuring four groups of eight teams. The top four teams from each group, 16 in total, advance to a single-elimination Playoff bracket.

All Playoff series, excluding the Grand Final, will be contested as best-of-three matches, while the championship will be decided in a best-of-five Grand Final.

Direct Invites: The 16 National Rosters

As we mentioned before, sixteen teams received a direct invite through the ENC Rankings. The list seemed mostly finished when BLAST Slam VII made a couple of unexpected changes. Take a look at the list of the 16 directly invited rosters: 

• CHINA - Ame, Xm, XXs, fy, y`, and XinQ (S)

• KAZAKHSTAN - watson, Malady, Malik, daze, Samat1, xsvampire (S), and TA2000 (S)

• MALAYSIA - Ghost, NothingToSay, Ws, zeal, xNOva, MidOne (S), and Chucky (S)

• DENMARK - 1striker, Cy-, Ace, MISERY, N0tail, Cr1t- (S), and Ivz (S)

• SWEDEN - miCKe, Insania, Boxi, Xibbe, charlie, Pablo (S), and Gorgc (S)

• UNITED STATES - SumaiL, Quinn, Fayde, Speeed, Sneyking, Yamsun (S), and Gunnar (S)

• INDONESIA - Jikroy, dalul, Fbz, Mikoto, Whitemon, Pota2 (S), and Jhocam (S)

• GERMANY - Yuma, Stormstormer, Qojqva, tOfu, rmN-, Copy (S), and jmn (S)

• JORDAN - ATF, Valyrian, islA, AfrOmoush, Nagato, Joeel (S), and Kemps (S)

• BULGARIA - Nikobaby, bzm, lil pleb, Mastermind, FAILETZ, Evidence (S), and CTOMAHEH1 (S)

• NORTH MACEDONIA - Zipzap, Stojkov, GodKid-, Saksa, H8, and Kralot_bulo (S)

• UKRAINE - kreker, QBFY, pma, Niku, gotthejuice, Akamu (S), and OnLiTaL (S)

• NETHERLANDS - Crystallis, Shad, Seleri, Crayon, Boerenyoghurt, Myron (S), and Wayne (S)

• REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA - rubikon155, Chief_Keef, Tony_who, Save-, Spacewalker, Requiem (S), and Shovel (S)

• POLAND - Nisha, Steq, Exotic_Deer, Ekki, Eejit, Fey (S), and Dave (S)

• BRAZIL - Costabile, 4analog, Lelis, Thiolicor, KJ, fcr (S), and 4dr (S)

*Player names marked with an (S) are substitutes for eventual problems teams might face during the event.

Each country was invited based on the ENC Ranking, and points were awarded to them based on events separated into each ENC tier (Tier S or Tier A). Events in a higher ENC tier awarded more points.

There is also a limit of a maximum of 3 players from the same organization per nation. That explains why we do not have full rosters from teams whose players are all from the same country.

Last Minute Surprises: Kazakhstan and Brazil

China has two strong teams, and the combination of Xtreme Gaming and Vici Gaming’s roster cores has given the People’s Republic of China the highest ranking among the invited teams.

The first surprise of the ranking was the team representing Kazakhstan, which suddenly rocketed all the way up to the second spot because of Team Yandex duo watson and Malady’s victory at BLAST Slam VII.

Team Yandex's adversaries in the Grand Final also benefited from their BLAST Slam VII performance. Adding Thiolicor and KJ's points was also crucial for Brazil, which just narrowly secured a spot over the roster of Czechia (a.k.a. Czech Republic).

LGD Gaming managed to squeeze the Brazilian roster into 16th place on the list and successfully dodge the Regional Qualifiers. The accomplishment was remembered and celebrated by Astini on his Twitter profile.

Unfortunately for TaiLung, his teammates' ascension also means that Peru was pushed out of the Top 16 in the ENC Ranking and will have to fight for its spot in the tournament through the Regional Qualifiers.

On tha topic, other teams in South America should brace themselves because Peru is the most active and successful country in the region and will most likely steamroll each and every one of its adversaries to grab a slot at the Esports Nations Cup.

Canada and Peru: Monsters Going Through Qualifiers

Despite their abundance of talent, Team Canada was left out of the direct invites list and will face the Regional Qualifiers for the ENC. A star-studded Canadian team featuring the legendary Arteezy, three-time TI winner (twice as a coach, once as a player) Aui_2000, and multi-time Major winner Fly is a clear favorite to qualify.

Down in South America, Peru is seeking to claim one of two spots in its qualifier and add to its rich Dota 2 history on the shoulders of the PlayTime trio Scofield, Wits, and DarkMago, as well as LGD Gaming rising star TaiLung.

Closing Thoughts

Either by having their national teams directly invited or by playing in the Regional Qualifiers, the Esports Nations Cup 2026 is yet another treat for Dota 2 fans worldwide.

All 32 teams will compete at the Dota 2 tournament at ENC 2026 beginning on November 2 and concluding with the Playoff final on November 8.

If you want to stay informed about the Esports Nations Cup and every other upcoming Dota 2 event, remember to check the news section on the Strafe website!

READ MORE: BLAST Slam VII Meta Recap: Supports Taking Over

Featured Image Source: Esports Nations Cup