The inaugural 2026 World Star Challengers Invitational features 16 Tier 2 League of Legends squads from LCK CL, LDL, LFL, CBLOL, PCS, VCS and other regions competing September 20–October 2 in a double round-robin group stage of best-of-ones followed by single-elimination best-of-fives. With EMEA qualifiers concluding only days before the event and several regional slots still open, full rosters and recent cross-regional form remain incomplete. This uncertainty, combined with the format’s volatility in short series and the absence of prior international Tier 2 benchmarks, keeps implied probabilities tightly clustered near 50 percent across leading academy sides such as KT Rolster Challengers, EDG Youth Team, T1 Esports Academy, and Dplus KIA Challengers. Regional stylistic differences and preparation time further limit any single squad’s perceived edge.