Paul Delos Santos is a reporter based in Las Vegas. He covers the Vegas Golden Knights for NHL.com and also covers esports and general Las Vegas sports for The Sporting Tribune. He’s a gamer who never has time to play them, so he naturally opted to write and talk about them instead.
Olivia Richman is a seasoned esports journalist who has worked with Inven Global, Esports Illustrated, Esports.gg, and more. As an editor and writer at Esports Insider, she loves telling unique esports stories, especially within the FGC. When not working and gaming, Olivia loves collecting Kirby plush, eating sushi, and driving her cars at the track.
Image Credit: Riot Games The changes to League of Legends ’ Tier 2 system have long been whispered about, but the lack of commitment has created a regional imbalance among teams.
Riot has now made its first step in making Tier 2 a healthier ecosystem. The company announced a collaboration with TJ Sports to host the 2026 World Star Challengers Invitational , featuring 16 Tier 2 teams from Asia, Europe, and the Americas, to support player development.
The event will take place from Sept. 20 to Oct. 2, featuring teams from the five League of Legends regions, and will serve as a test pilot for the potential of other Tier 2 international events in the future. Fans can watch the event on their regional Tier 2 channel on various platforms.
The format was met with cautious optimism by players and coaches in the North American Challengers League – the Tier 2 system in the United States and Canada.
“I honestly am very pleasantly surprised that an event like this is happening involving the T2 space and would be very excited if I got the opportunity to play in it,” NRG top laner Frankie “Zamudo” Lin said to Esports Insider.
Riot revealed the event in a blog post , announcing the dates and format.
Each region will have its own pathway to qualify for the event, with three teams per region – North and South America, Asia, Asia-Pacific Islands (APAC), and Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) advancing to the event. The final spot will join the 2026 Asia Masters Champion Dplus Kia Challengers for the event.
The teams will be drawn into four-team groups, with rules stating that the teams from Pool 1 and 2 will not be joined by another team from their region. The teams will play in a best-of-one, double round-robin tournament. The group stage is set to begin Sept. 20 and conclude Sept. 25.
Teams that qualify out of the group stage move onto a single-elimination bracket from Sept. 27 to Oct. 2. All series in the playoffs will be the best of five.
While the event has been announced, details on where it will be played have not been revealed, nor even what support Riot and TJ Sports will provide teams for travel.
Additionally, the NACL team that qualifies will have about nine days’ notice before figuring out all the logistics of getting to the event.
“I wish the NACL had more than one spot, and we had a bit more time,” Cupid Esports coach Samuel “boc” Boudrie said to me. “I’m just happy that Tier 2 is getting more resources, so I’ll take it.”
Image Credit: Markus Ulmer/FIFA The NACL has five teams remaining – Cupid Esports, NRG, Maryville University, Winthrop University, and Conviction Gaming – competing in the NACL Playoffs to earn a spot in the LCS.
But the WSCI provides a few things for the NACL.
The first is that it provides players with an opportunity to play internationally and get exposed to other playstyles and cul…