Some players decline participation in ENC 2026 for League of Legends

This November, Esports Nations Cup 2026 will debut in Saudi Arabia, featuring competitions across 16 disciplines. However, as journalist Craig Robinson notes for Esports.net, professional League of Legends players are showing limited interest in the event.

According to community discussions, particularly on Reddit, several star players have already declined to represent their countries. For example, Mikyx, Crownie, and Nemesis will not play for Slovenia. Additionally, according to Sheep Esports, one of the biggest content creators, Marc "Caedrel" Lamont, declined an offer to play as a mid laner for the United Kingdom team.

Several key reasons are highlighted for the low level of interest among professionals:

• Significant skill gaps between roles within the same national team
• Participation in the tournament would interfere with players’ ability to stream and create content during that period
• Poor timing, as November is traditionally the peak period for contract expirations and roster changes on the professional League of Legends scene, meaning top players are busy handling their careers

However, some notable players will still take part. According to available information, Sergen "Broken Blade" Çelik will represent Turkey. Well-known coaches have also been announced: Dylan Falco will represent Canada, while Mac will coach the United Kingdom team.

As a reminder, RED Canids recently disbanded its Brazilian CS roster.