The Korea eSports Association (KeSPA) has announced its withdrawal from the 2026 ESports Nations Cup.

The Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC 2026) is set to kick off this November, but the Korea eSports Association (KeSPA) has officially announced its withdrawal from the event.

This means that South Korea, one of the world's most influential esports powerhouses, will not be representing the country as an official national team at this year's ENC.

The core reason for this withdrawal lies in the significant disagreement between the two sides regarding the selection process for the national team roster. According to multiple reports, the ENC organizers (EWC Foundation) are suspected of indirectly interfering in the formation of the South Korean national team, attempting to pressure the inclusion of specific star players directly in the roster.

The community widely speculates that the organizers did this for marketing purposes, hoping to push esports superstar Faker or his original team roster to participate.

For KeSPA, this external interference completely crossed the line. KeSPA has long maintained a rigorous and independent national representative selection mechanism, with the selection process usually decided by officially appointed coaches based on the athletes' overall strength and competitive performance.

In its response, the KeSPA official representative stated clearly: "ENC's actions are completely inconsistent with the values and direction of our national team selection system, and it is very regrettable that we cannot continue to cooperate."

After the partnership broke down, the ENC organizers issued a statement saying they still hoped South Korean athletes would participate and planned to bypass KeSPA and directly contact athletes and coaches to form teams. However, this move was met with a stern warning from the Korean Sports and Olympic Committee (KSOC).

Currently, the South Korean flag has been removed from the ENC website. With KeSPA insisting on its independence in the selection process and choosing to withdraw, South Korean esports faces an extremely awkward situation in this year's Nations Cup.

Image source: Internet