Esports Nations Cup 2026 reveals VALORANT rosters with Japan squad confirmed

The Esports Foundation has officially unveiled the complete national rosters for the VALORANT tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026, which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November. A total of 16 teams have been directly invited to the competition based on players' cumulative performance points from the 2026 professional circuit, with the United States topping the rankings at 13,000 points, followed by South Korea (8,525 points) and China (7,975 points). Japan secured one of the invited slots and will field a seven-player squad composed of Meiy, SugarZ3ro, Caedye, yatsuka from DetonatioN FocusMe; SugarZ3ro from ZETA DIVISION; Aace from FENNEL; Dep from REJECT; and Yuran from QT DIG∞, with Vorz from DetonatioN FocusMe coaching the national team.

The remaining 16 of the 32 expected VALORANT teams will compete through continental qualifiers scheduled for June 26–28, with 14 spots available across seven regional competitions offering two slots each. Two additional spots will be distributed as wildcards: one "Solidarity Slot" for an unqualified country and one "Host Region Slot" reserved for a Gulf Cooperation Council nation. All participating rosters have already been confirmed and validated by the organization.

The event will be part of a broader Esports Nations Cup featuring thousands of players from approximately one hundred countries competing across 16 different game titles. The VALORANT tournament specifically will run from November 8 to 15, with a combined prize pool of $1.5 million across all competitions. Other directly invited nations include Canada, Turkey, Brazil, Singapore, Poland, the Philippines, Great Britain, and Chinese Taipei, each bringing elite rosters composed of professional and high-level players from their respective esports scenes.