After BLG secured the Global Pioneers Cup championship, the premier international tournament of League of Legends for 2026 has officially wrapped up. This year is significant in esports, featuring not just Riot's three main events but also the Asian Games, the Oil Cup, and the Nations Cup. The latter part of the year is tightly scheduled: the Mid-Season Cup in June, the Oil Cup in July, the Asian Games in September, the World Championship in October, and the Nations Cup in November.

For both the Asian Games and the Nations Cup, players will represent the CN region. Currently, the selection for the Asian Games is not yet finalized; it is likely that decisions will be made after the Mid-Season Cup, based on players' performance. However, there is some new information regarding the Nations Cup: the Saudi event organizers recently announced the participating teams list, which includes teams from China, Hong Kong China, and Taiwan China.

Meanwhile, the Nations Cup official website indicates that LPL teams AL and BLG have partnerships with the event organizers. Shortly after this information was released, online rumors surfaced about the Chinese team's lineup. It is said that for the ENC Nations Cup, selections will only be made from these two partnered teams, with a maximum of three players per team. Excluding Korean imports, the duo and jungler positions would likely be ON, Xun, and Hope.

For the top-lane position, Bin's current form is significantly better than that of Saint Gun, and there is also a noticeable gap in their skill levels. Thus, Bin would be the natural choice. The mid-lane position, however, sparks some debate. Knight has long been hailed as the "number one mid-laner in China," so normally he would be selected. But since BLG's top, jungle, and support slots are already occupied by three players, the mid-lane would then have to be Shanks. Pairing AL's dual carries with BLG's top, jungle, and support—this lineup's strength is honestly hard to assess.

Hope's ceiling has been evident to everyone over the past two years. Whenever coaches entrust him with crucial responsibilities, he tends to underperform. Compared to him, Gala and Xiang Gong are stronger, but they are not eligible to participate. Mid-laner Shanks is somewhat better; when he is in form and peaks, his carry potential is not inferior to Knight's. However, when Shanks is in a slump, he can falter even more than Knight, lacking consistency.

However, these rumors are not yet confirmed. The Nations Cup is scheduled at the end of the year, still over nine months away. Until the selection rules are officially announced, no one knows the final lineup. Moreover, if there are roster changes in BLG and AL during the second phase, the candidate pool could be adjusted. Of course, this possibility is quite low; Ai Xiao would rather dismiss the best coach than alter the current roster, so changes are unlikely.

BLG, having just won the Pioneers Cup, is even less likely to change their lineup this year. Personally, I feel that in this lineup, Hope is the only weak link. If the Nations Cup coach focuses tactics around Bin, prioritizing the top lane and assigning Hope a functional role, it could still work. However, this strategy might struggle against Korean teams, as LCK will undoubtedly select their top-tier players.

The Nations Cup official website shows that LCK's lineup is managed by the Korean e-Sports Association, KesPa. Their selections are not limited to just two teams; they can choose from all ten teams. The Korean team's final roster will certainly be stronger than ours. A bold prediction would be: mid-laner Chovy, bot-laner Ruler, top-laner Kiin or Zeus, jungler Canyon, and support Keria. This lineup is far superior to ours.

Conclusion:

If it is ultimately confirmed that only players from AL and BLG can participate in the Nations Cup, that would be somewhat abstract. Other regions can freely select players, while our region is restricted to just two teams. Although the domestic players from these two teams are top-tier, some are still relatively weak. The specifics will depend on the rules officially released later.

So, what do you think of this lineup?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!