Overview
- Team announcements, reported Tuesday, confirmed direct-invite VALORANT squads for China, South Korea, the Philippines and Canada as organizers move to lock the main 32-team field.
- South Korea named a five-player lineup with coach Kim “SilKanoN” Gyeong-min after earning a top-two ENC ranking, while China revealed a seven-player squad built around three Edward Gaming members.
- Tyson “TenZ” Ngo is returning to competition for Team Canada, which received a direct invite and will use the extra preparation time to build chemistry before Riyadh.
- The ENC field is structured so 16 nations qualify by ENC Rankings and 16 spots come from regional qualifiers and two wildcards, with the VALORANT segment carrying a $1.5 million prize pool inside a $45 million event commitment.
- The next step is a series of online regional qualifiers, including the SEA & OCE event scheduled June 26–28 to decide two main-event spots, a process that will test scheduling and player-club coordination and invite short-term comebacks.