Demacia Cup Global Invitational 2026: Format, teams, and prize pool

Naerlyn Published August 31, 2026

Every year since 2014, the Demacia Cup has taken place as an off-season tournament in the LPL. In 2026, it turns into the Demacia Cup Global Invitational, a new tournament at the start of October.

The Global Invitational will oppose the best teams that didn’t qualify for the League of Legends 2026 World Championship, for a prize pool of ¥1,500,000 ($223,123). This tournament is co-hosted by Tencent Esports and Huya Live.

The Demacia Cup Global Invitational teams

The 2026 Demacia Cup will take place from October 3 to October 17. As the best teams of each region prepare for the World Championship starting October 15, the competitors below them will get to compete as well. Therefore, this tournament will offer plenty of LoL betting opportunities.

The tournament will invite 12 teams from the six major regions, selected as follows:

The number of team slots was based on results at the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational.

• The first and second regions send three teams,
• The third and fourth regions send two,
• The fifth and sixth regions send one.

If an invited organization declines to participate, the invitation will be given to the next team in the standings.

Note: Brazil will only send its fourth-place team even though it has two Worlds spots. As the CBLOL playoffs run late, the order of the top three will not be decided by the start of October when this tournament starts. Therefore, the third-place team will miss out on internationals.

The Demacia Cup Global Invitational format and prize pool

The Demacia Cup Global Invitational has a prize pool of ¥1,500,000 ($223,123), with ¥600,000 ($89,249) going to the winner. The prize pool goes as follows:

The Demacia Cup Global Invitational 2026 schedule. Image credit: Riot Games

The tournament starts with a four-round Swiss stage. Teams qualify once they reach two wins and end their run at three losses. For this stage, the first round is a best-of-one while all other matches are best-of-three.

Then, the eight remaining teams play in a single-elimination bracket. There, all matches are best-of-five and will allow the use of Coach Comms. The playoffs will take place at the Beijing Smart Esports Center, JD Gaming’s home venue in the LPL.

Featured image credit: Riot Games