The EQUAL ESPORTS CUP is a League of Legends tournament series for women and non-binary talent. The final of the cup will be announced soon. The EQUAL ESPORTS CUP is a joint movement of the DACH Esports scene and was initiated by RIOT, Deutsche Telekom, SK Gaming and the esports player foundation (epf). The cup is intended to give women and non-binary players a platform to showcase their skills and establish themselves in professional Esports. In this sense, the EEC acts as a scouting ground for Esports organizations to discover more women and non-binary talent for future rosters.

4 women/non-binary teams have been invited to the EQUAL ESPORTS CUP. These teams are fielded by established esports organisations. Furthermore, it was very important to us to be able to include those teams with whom we have not yet been able to make contact, or who have so far only played privately. For this reason, all women’s/non-binary teams are also welcome to register for the Open Qualifier. By taking part in the Open Qualifiers (16 May–7 June 2026), the top two teams from each Open Qualifier will qualify for the subsequent league phase, which may ultimately lead to participation in the offline finals.

The 4 invited teams are from established Esports organizations. They include: SK Avarosa, Mental Rush and Vitality Rising Bees.

Indeed you can! If you a) didn't manage to apply for one of the professional teams or if you b) prefer to play in your own team, you can register yourself or your team here (Qualifier 1) or here (Qualifier 2). You are still missing a player? No problem! On our Discord server you can look for missing team members or join a searching team.

The Open Qualifiers on 16.05.2026 and 17.05.2026 as well as on 06.06.2026 and 07.06.2026 will kick off the tournament, in which 4 teams can qualify for the group phase comprising 4 match days in addition to the teams already invited. The group stage begins with the first match day on 07.07.2026 and ends on 15.07.2026. The 2 best teams in each group qualify for the playoffs as well as the 2 best teams of the lucky losers bracket. The playoffs begin on 28.07.2026 with a double elimination format and end on 16.08.2026. The 2 best teams qualify for the Grand Final. You can of course follow the group stage and the Grand Final in the live stream. The broadcast will take place via the “equalEsportsgg”-Twitch-channel.

Initially, all talents, including those of Invitational Teams, have to get verified. Along with the standard identification process, gender identification is also required since only women, transgender women and non-binary individuals, are eligible to participate in the EEC. Gender identification is -understandably- a sensitive and personal topic for many, and therefore, we prioritize the feel-good factor of participants during the verification process. Our admin team specialises in this area and verifies all participants with empathy and discretion. With the verification process we are prepared in case someone has unpleasant intentions. The EQUAL ESPORTS CUP is and remains a safe space for players. All teams and players that register will be contacted by the verification team and informed about the process and what they need to do. The step of verification is necessary to avoid people from exploiting our Cup.

Register your team for the Qualifier 1 or here Qualifier 2.

Our admins will then take care of verifying your team. Important: Please keep an eye on the deadline for registering for the Open Qualifier! The registration deadline is stated on the registration form.

Register your team for the Open Qualifier 1 or Open Qualifier 2: Our admins will then take care of verifying your team. Important: Please keep an eye on the deadline for registering for the Open Qualifier! The registration deadline is stated on the registration form.

July 07th 2026 Matchday 1 July 08th 2026 Matchday 2 July 09th 2026 Matchday 3 July 14th 2026 Matchday 4 July 15th 2026 Tiebreaker + Lucky Losers Playoffs: July 28th 2026 - August 16th 2026 Finals: August 29th 2026

The EQUAL ESPORTS CUP is a joint project of SK Gaming and epf, sponsored by Deutsche Telekom.

First of all, the teams gain one thing above all: a stage for their skills, belonging in a male-dominated pro player scene, notoriety and recognition. Apart from that, we have of course also provided prize money:

(1.) 5000€ (2.) 2500€ (3.) 1750€ (4.) 750€

The winning team will also receive our EQUAL ESPORTS CUP trophy.

The top 2 Teams at the end of the playoffs will qualify for the Grand Final.

Website: https://www.equal-esports.com/events/equal-esports-cup Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/equalesportsgg Twitter: https://twitter.com/EsportsPlayerF1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equalesportsgg Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@equalesportsgg

The EQUAL ESPORTS Initiative advocates for more equality, diversity and inclusion in Esports. The initiative was launched in 2021 by Deutsche Telekom, SK Gaming and the esports player foundatio

The EQUAL ESPORTS CUP is part of the EQUAL ESPORTS Initiative, which was launched by Telekom together with SK Gaming and the esports player foundation. As the EQUAL ESPORTS CUP reflects what the EQUAL ESPORTS Initiative stands for, we decided to integrate the initiative in the name of the Cup.