Riot announces first global Tier-2 League of Legends tournament

Riot announces first global Tier-2 League of Legends tournament

Riot Games has announced the 2026 World Star Challengers Invitational, the first international League of Legends tournament dedicated to Tier-2 teams from across the major competitive regions.

The event will bring together 16 teams from China , Korea , Asia-Pacific, the Americas and EMEA from September 20 to October 2.

The tournament represents Riot's first attempt at creating a permanent international competitive stage specifically for developing players outside the major Tier-1 leagues.

16 teams from five regions

Each of the five participating regions will send three representatives.

Those 15 teams will be joined by DK Challengers, who earned the final position by winning Asia Masters 2026.

The complete field will therefore feature:

• Three teams from China

• Three teams from Korea

• Three teams from Asia-Pacific

• Three teams from the Americas

• Three teams from EMEA

• Asia Masters 2026 champion DK Challengers

Riot and TJ Sports will organize the competition.

Group stage begins September 20

The tournament will begin with a six-day group stage from September 20 to 25.

All 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four.

Each team will play every opponent twice in a double round-robin format, with all group-stage matches played as best-of-one games.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the playoffs.

That produces a total of 48 group-stage matches.

Eight-team playoff bracket

The remaining eight teams will move into a single-elimination playoff bracket beginning September 27.

Unlike the group stage, every playoff match will be played as a best-of-five series.

The tournament concludes with the grand final on October 2.

Riot testing global Tier-2 competition

The World Star Challengers Invitational is intended to give developing players international experience before reaching the highest level of professional League of Legends.

Tier-2 teams have traditionally competed almost entirely within their own regional ecosystems, meaning young players rarely face opponents from other regions before reaching a major Tier-1 competition.

Riot describes WSCI as a pilot project that will help determine how international competition can contribute to player development.

The event will also provide scouts and professional organizations with an opportunity to evaluate emerging talent against opposition from multiple competitive regions.