Just weeks after the Split 1 Year 6 Playoffs wrapped up in Paris, the Esports Nations Cup is showcasing even more Apex Legends esports for the world to enjoy. Created by the same organization behind the Esports World Cup – and with very similar names – the Esports Nations Cup begins this August.
Here’s how the ENC will work for Apex Legends, which countries are participating, and when matches will take place.
How the Esports Nations Cup works
The idea of the Esports Nations Cup–having one team per nation, from all around the world compete– sounds simple, but the execution is a little more complicated. This is due to both its connection to the Apex Legends Global Series and the fact that some regions, namely the Americas and EMEA, are home to the vast majority of pro players.
40 teams of three players each will compete in the finals this November. Since not every nation in the world can compete in this limited format, the countries invited are being chosen based on both the results of the ALGS Year 6 Split 1 Playoffs and the results of the upcoming ENC Qualifiers. When signing up for the Qualifiers, teams declare their country (which isn’t necessarily their country of residence).
Once the Qualifiers are finished, the best performing team from each invited country will move on to the ENC Finals, which means there will likely be especially fierce competition for stacked nations like the United States and Japan.
Guaranteed Countries
| Republic of Korea (APAC North) | Thailand (APAC South) | Mexico (Americas) | Germany (EMEA) |
| Japan (APAC North) | Indonesia (APAC South) | Great Britain (EMEA) | Finland (EMEA) |
| China (APAC South) | Canada (Americas) | Poland (EMEA) | Sweden (EMEA) |
| Australia (APAC South) | Argentina (Americas) | France (EMEA) | Austria (EMEA) |
| Chinese Taipei (APAC South) | United States (Americas) | Portugal (EMEA) | Spain (EMEA) |
For the remaining twenty empty spots, countries will qualify through team performances at the regional ENC Qualifiers. Teams that perform well from nations outside the above twenty will earn their way into the Finals, which should diversify the standard pool of pro players.
In practice, this means that a team from Italy could place 3rd behind two teams from Spain, and only the first place Spanish team and the Italian team would advance to the Finals.
Spots are limited, so EMEA nations have nine slots available, while the Americas have six, APAC South has three, and APAC North has none.
Esports Nations Cup Schedule
The Esports Nations Cup Qualifiers kick off on Saturday, August 1, as the EMEA, Americas, and APAC North regions begin with their first three rounds. The rest of the tournament up to the Finals will take place on Sunday, with the Finals themselves on Monday at 6pm local time.
Because APAC South has such a different time zone situation, their matches will take place on a shorter timeline with all matches taking place on Saturday and Sunday.
| Saturday (August 1) | Sunday (August 2) | Monday (August 3) | |
| Americas [Pacific Time] |
Rounds 1 – 3 [12pm PT] | Round 4, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals [12pm PT] | Finals [6pm PT] |
| EMEA [British Summer Time] |
Rounds 1 – 3 [12pm BST] | Round 4, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals [12pm BST] | Finals [6pm BST] |
| APAC North [Japan Standard Time] |
Rounds 1 – 3 [12pm JST] | Round 4, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals [12pm JST] | Finals [6pm JST] |
| APAC South [Singapore Time] |
Rounds 1 – 4 [12pm SGT] | Quarterfinals and Semifinals [12pm SGT] Finals [6pm SGT] |
N/A |
Regional Qualifier Format and Rules
Qualifiers, like with ALGS, will be split into regions–EMEA, Americas, APAC North, and APAC South. According to the official site, each qualifier has the max number of teams at a mind boggling 1,280 teams.
Due to this high number, the Qualifiers will be cut-throat, with a single-elimination structure for the tournament and early rounds featuring only four matches per series, though later rounds and the finals will have the standard six.
Just like ALGS, the ENC will use the same Legend Ban system to help shake up the meta, which will certainly be interesting considering the upcoming changes to Bloodhound, Loba, and Rampart in Season 30, which drops just as this tournament gets going.
