Riot Announces World Star Challengers Invitational: The First Global Tier 2 League Championship

League of Legends is shining the spotlight on its Tier 2 scene with its first-ever international tournament. Here’s everything to know about the World Star Challengers Invitational (WSCI), including its schedule, format, and how to watch.

Riot Announces First Tier 2 Global League Tournament: What is the World Star Challengers Invitational?

Usually, League of Legends’ Tier 1 circuit takes center stage. For 15 years, we’ve watched teams from the LCK, LPL, LCS, LCP, LEC and CBLoL lock in and fight for victory as they claw their way to Worlds. Teams like T1 have built legacies, and players like Faker, Caps, and chovy have become household names.

Now, League’s Tier 2 circuit is getting its moment in the sun. On September 3, 2026, Riot Games officially announced its first-ever global Tier 2 League tournament. The World Star Challengers Invitational (WSCI) will bring the game’s rising athletes into international competition, further connecting the overall esports ecosystem.

The venture is a partnership with US retailer TJ Sports. Riot Games wrote in an official release:

“For the first time, Tier 2 teams will come together on a global stage featuring representatives from all major LoL Esports regions.

[…] WSCI is designed to open up a higher level of international competition for Tier 2 players and teams. The tournament is structured to help accelerate player development, strengthen connections between regional ecosystems, and establish a global showcase that gives fans a first look at the players who could become the next generation of LoL Esports stars.”

Alongside TJ Sports, we're bringing an international event to Tier 2! 16 teams from Asia, Europe, and the Americas will compete from September 20 – October 2.

Make sure to follow your regional Tier 2 social channels for more info, and read more at the link below for additional… pic.twitter.com/NaA6JS2RJL

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 3, 2026

Riot Explains Tier 2’s Importance in League of Legends

Riot emphasized that “Tier 2 is a key feature of the LoL Esports competitive pipeline.” The studio noted that “it gives emerging players a place to develop, gives teams an opportunity to build and invest in future talent, and helps bridge amateur and pro play.”

If it is successful, the WSCI may lead to further Tier 2 investment in the future: “As Riot looks to strengthen that pipeline, we are focused on creating more opportunities for developing players and their teams to challenge themselves in more meaningful ways.”

The WSCI itself will also develop and change as the years go by. Riot called it “a pilot for what international Tier 2 competition could look like,” and wants to keep the tournament up-to-date and ensure it integrates smoothly with existing pro play. “The experience will help us understand how cross-regional competition can best support player development, strengthen connections between regional ecosystems, and create new opportunities for players and teams to grow, compete, and prove themselves.”

World Star Challengers Invitational: Schedule and Format

The 2026 World Star Challengers Invitational is kicking off soon, within the next month. It spans from Sunday, September 20 to Friday, October 2.

Five regions will participate in the tournament. These are:

• China
• Korea
• APAC
• Americas
• EMEA

We can expect to see some big-name Academy teams and secondary rosters showing up. For 2026, teams including Vivo Keyd Stars Academy, Bilibili Gaming Junior, EDward Gaming Youth, and Dplus Kia Challengers have reportedly already qualified.

The world about to see the best league of legends players to ever exist.

— NACL (@watchNACL) September 3, 2026

Full WSCI Format

Every region recieves 3 teams through “a mix of qualification pathways.” Another team will enter as the Asia Masters Champion, bringing the grand team slot total to 16.

First, the tournament divides teams into three seeding pools. They sort them into groups, which all contain one team from each pool. Notably, no Group will contain more than two teams from a single region.

On September 20, the Group Stage kicks off. This phase includes four subgroups. Riot notes that “every team will play every other team twice in a double round-robin format.” These matches are all best-of-one. The top two teams from each group progress, meaning this stage cuts the total team count in half.

Next, the Championship Bracket starts on September 27. Eight teams should make it here. They progress through a single-elimination bracket, and every matchup is best-of-5.

The WSCI Grand Final caps things off on October 2. This crowns the strongest Challengers team as the tourney’s Champions.

WSCI Schedule Summary

So, to summarize:

• September 20: Group Stage starts. 8 matches occur every day until it ends.
• September 26: Group Stage ends.
• September 27: Championship begins.
• October 2: WSCI Grand Finals occur.

How to Watch the WSCI

Riot states that League of Legends esports fans can watch the World Star Challengers Invitational live through “regional Tier 2 social channels, and regional co-streamers.” For example, the NACL is active on Twitch.

Stay tuned for more League of Legends esports and game news.