League of Legends may become one of the participating games in the eSports Nations Cup after misunderstanding with game developer Riot Game have been resolved..

Sheep Esports exclusively reported on Monday that after resolving a misunderstanding with game developer Riot Games, League of Legends may become one of the participating games in the 2026 eSports Nations Cup (ENC).

According to the report, Riot Games has maintained the strategic cooperation agreement signed in 2025, which was previously disputed with the organizers regarding the neglect of their right to know about the hosting of the eSports World Cup.

Following the resolution of the misunderstanding, Riot Games will authorize the Saudi Private Investment Fund (PIF) to include League of Legends in the inaugural eSports Nations Cup.

However, the two parties have not yet finalized the exact competition schedule for this large-scale international esports tournament, which will be held in Saudi Arabia from November 2nd to 29th. However, the tournament is expected to follow the format of games like Valorant and FC 26, with a week-long tournament.

Following the previous tournament formats of many games, the League of Legends format will limit each national team to a maximum of three players from the same club to ensure fair competition.

Using the tournament formats previously annouced for Counter Strike 2 and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang as examples, the League of Legends tournament is expected to feature 24 to 32 national teams competing, with the top players from each country receiving direct invitations based on their rankings.

The remaining two wildcard national teams will qualify through a qualifier.

In August 2025, Sheep Esports publicly questioned the motives of the Saudi Private Investment Fund, which unilaterally announced the hosting of the eSports Nations Cup but bypassed consultation with Riot Games.

According to the report, the Saudi Private Investment Fund's eSports Nations Cup Organization signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Riot Games in early 2025. Therefore, Riot Games should have the right to know all information regarding major esports events planned for its games. However, judging from the organization's promotional materials, Riot Games seems to have been kept in the dark.

The report also points out that the Saudi Arabian government's deliberate announcement of hosting the eSports Nations Cup a year before the 2026 eSports Olympics in Japan suggests a desire to use the hosting of numerous large-scale international sporting events for "sportswashing" — using sports to enhance its reputation and erase its image of numerous human rights violations.

Sheep Esports also believes that the Saudi Private Investment Fund, controlled by the royal family, may have deliberately chosen not to inform Riot Games, or knew Riot Games would reject their proposal, and instead negotiated directly with its parent company, Tencent.

If these allegations are confirmed to be true, and the Saudi Private Investment Fund's wealth fund's attempt to "sportswash" its reputation through sportswashing is proven, it will again subject the Middle Eastern country to criticism from international non-profit organizations such as Amnesty International and Freedom House, which advocate for human rights equality.

This also marks the third time in recent years that the Saudi Private Investment Fund has been accused of deliberately using sports to "sportswash" its image, following its acquisition of Newcastle United and its controversial bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Image source: Internet / Sheep Esports