Several Philippine squads have qualified for the main stage of the inaugural 2026 Esports Nations Cup (ENC), which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29.
The teams will participate in multiple game titles, including Valorant, League of Legends (LoL), Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) and Chess.
The Philippines, known for its global dominance in MLBB, will head into the ENC main stage as one of the tournament’s most awaited contenders.
It will debut both veterans and rising stars on one of esports’ biggest international stages this year.
Valorant
The Philippines will head into ENC’s Valorant main stage as one of the tournament’s 12 direct invitees.
The country earned a direct invitation to the championship round by garnering 4,875 points and placing ninth at the ENC Valorant rankings.
The team will be headed by coach Jose ‘Rbtx’ Jamir of Team Secret. He will be joined by:
- Adrian Jiggs ‘Invy’ Reyes as Initiator (Paper Rex)
- Patrick ‘PatMen’ Mendoza as Initiator/Flex (Global Esports)
- Xavier ‘xavi8k’ Juan as Controller/In-Game Leader (Global Esports)
- Kelly ‘kellyS’ Sadillo as Sentinel (Team Secret)
- Jhian ‘Zeus’ Vega as Duelist (Team Secret)
Mark ‘Markyyy’ Tuling (Oasis Gaming) and Brheyanne ‘Wild0reoo’ Reyes (Jade Lions) will also play in the roster as substitutes.
Fans are especially looking forward to the performance of rising star PatMen, the breakout Initiator/Flex who was named the Valorant Champions Tour Rookie of the Year in 2025.
The Valorant tournament proper at the ENC will be held from November 8 to 15.
MORE ESPORTS NEWS: London unveils ambitious plan to become the world’s esports capital
League of Legends
Another squad that will be waving the Philippine flag at Saudi Arabia is the LoL team.
Known as one of the tournament’s underdogs, Team Philippines made a shocker by beating Guam, Australia and Singapore during last month’s regional qualifiers.
They joined New Zealand as the two seeds of South East Asia and Oceania at the main event.
The roster, mostly composed of West Point Esports players, will be headed by Ralph Andrei ‘Leathergoods’ Llabres. It includes:
- Raven ‘Relhia’ Aloi on Top (West Point Academy)
- Joshua ‘Devoured’ Escucharo on Jungle (West Point Esports)
- Cherv Zildjan ‘Cherb’ Dorado on Mid (West Point Academy)
- Jan ‘Cresho’ Hotizuela on Bottom (ex-West Point Academy)
- Kyle ‘Dawn’ Somera (ex-Liyab Esports) on Support
“Qualifying for the ENC is both a surprise and a blessing,” said coach Leathergoods.
“It validates the hard work of our athletes, coaches and support staff while showing that, when given the right opportunities, Filipino talent can compete with the best.”
With Team Philippines’ qualification to the ENC, the country is set to return to a major LoL tournament for the first time in 13 years since Mineski’s stint as the country’s lone representative at the 2013 Season 3 World Championship.
The main stage for LoL will be held from November 21 to 29.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Gaming news: ‘Tekken’ shifts from hyperrealism to cute in unexpected spinoff
Dota 2
The ENC will also see the rise of Filipino players in Dota 2.
The Philippines brought home a ticket to the tournament’s championship stage by beating Thailand 2-1 during the regional qualifiers’ upper-bracket final.
With that victory, the Philippines will be representing South East Asia and Oceania at the ENC’s Dota 2 stage from November 2 to 8.
The team is headed by Josef ‘JL’ Brazal (Team Philippines/ex-Team Adroit). The roster will include:
- Eljohn ‘Akashi’ Andales on Carry (Execration)
- Abed ‘Abed’ Yusop on Mid (Aurora Gaming)
- Polo ‘Raven’ Fausto on Offlane (OG)
- Mark Jubert ‘Shanks’ Redira on Soft Support (Team Nemesis)
- Bryle ‘cml’ Alvizo on Hard Support (Team Nemesis)
Two players from Team Nemesis – Mc Nicholson ‘Mac’ Villanueva and Glenard ‘Rupido’ Rugay – will also play as substitutes.
Abed, in particular, is one of the most closely watched players in the tournament.
He made history as the first Dota 2 player in the world to reach 10,000 Matchmaking Rating (MMR) points under the game’s new medal system.
READ MORE: Gaming news: Valve gears up for launch of the Steam Machine
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
The Philippines has entered the MLBB competition at the ENC as one of the tournament’s favourites.
Sitting atop the ENC MLBB Rankings with 11,200 points, the Philippines has established itself as the dominant force in the international MLBB scene.
The roster features world champions alongside some of the biggest stars in the MLBB Professional League.
The team will be headed by Francis ‘Ducky’ Glindro (Team Falcons PH). He will be joined by:
- David ‘Flap’ Canon on EXP lane (Team Falcons PH)
- Karl ‘KarlTzy’ Nepomuceno on Jungle (Team Liquid Philippines)
- Alston ‘Sanji’ Pabico on Mid Lane (Team Liquid Philippines)
- Marco ‘Super Marco’ Requitiano on Gold Lane (Team Falcons PH)
- Jaypee ‘Jaypee’ Dela Cruz on Roam (Team Liquid Philippines)
Two players – Duane ‘Kelra’ Pillas and Kairi ‘Kairi’ Rayosdelsol – will join as reserves from ONIC Esports (Indonesia).
The Philippines has won all four men’s MLBB gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games, making the country the four-time reigning champion and the most successful nation in the event’s history.
The team seeks to expand the country’s dominance in MLBB by capturing the inaugural ENC title during the tournament’s main stage from November 23 to 29.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN: Film news: ‘Sea of Thieves’ movie adaptation to bring audiences on a new voyage
Chess
The Philippines will also field two Chess esports athletes at the 128-player Online Chess tournament at the ENC.
The event proper, to be held from November 2 to 8, will see the major esports debut of Daniel Causo and Paulo Bersamina.
Causo secured his participation through a direct invite.
Meanwhile, Bersamina acquired his spot by winning in East Asia, SEA and Oceania qualifiers.
READ NEXT: TV news: ‘Fallout’ Season 3 starts filming as new cast members announced
Ian Trinidad 
Gabrielle Wilkinson 
Adam Peaker