The 2026 World Star Challengers Invitational Esports Tournament Kicks Off Tomorrow in South Korea

From September 20 to October 2, 2026, South Korea will host the A-Tier offline tournament — the 2026 World Star Challengers Invitational (WSCI 2026). Organized by TJ Sports and Riot Games, the event serves as an expansion of the Asia Masters / Asia Star Challengers Invitational (ASCI) series.

The competition will feature 16 top-ranked Tier 2 teams from five regions: China, Korea, APAC, Americas, and EMEA. A total of 82 players are registered for the tournament. South Korea (24 players, 29%) and China (15 players, 18%) hold the largest representation. Participants also include players from Vietnam (6), Brazil (5), Taiwan (5), France (3), and Japan (3). Notably, Ukrainian player Ivan "NightSlayer" Bilous will play on the main roster as a toplaner for MKOI Fénix (EMEA Qualifier winners).

The tournament will be held in two stages:

• Group Stage (September 20–25): The 16 teams will be divided into four groups to compete in a Double Round-Robin format. All matches will be Best-of-1 (Bo1). The top two teams from each group will advance to the Knockout Stage, while the bottom two will be eliminated. The group draw will be held privately.
• Knockout Stage (September 27 – October 2): Eight teams will play in a Single Elimination bracket. All series will be Best-of-5 (Bo5). First-place teams from each group will face second-place teams from another group. Quarterfinal matchups will be decided by an on-stage draw following the group stage. In the quarterfinals, group winners will receive Side Selection Privilege for game 1, after which the losing team chooses the side for the next game. In subsequent matches, side selection will be determined by a coin flip.

The total prize pool for the event is $48,000 USD. The winner will receive $20,000, the runner-up gets $10,000, the 3rd-4th place teams will earn $5,000 each, and the 5th-8th place teams will take home $2,000 each.

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