Esports Equals Cup reveals invited teams, featuring British player, G2’s Izzeri

Craig Robinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 21/05/2026

The Esports Equals Cup has announced its 2026 edition, inviting four female teams to its league this year. Among the teams invited are SK Avarosa, G2 Hel, Vitality Bee Rising, and Mental Rush. The cup features the four teams, alongside another four teams coming through online qualifiers.

The tournament is currently scheduled for July, with the four invited teams set to play then. The other teams will qualify through online qualifiers, where teams can register for the Qualifier 2 event now. The first one has expired, with Eterna and Eclipse qualifying already. But entries are still available for Open Qualifier 2 if teams consisting of women and non-binary players are interested.

G2 Hel sign British ADC player, Izzeri – will compete in EEC and Game Changers

G2 Esports’ new female team is the last of the four confirmed invited teams competing in the event. The team recently announced its G2 Nord and Hel teams on May 19th, with the org also announcing its sponsorship with McDonald’s alongside it. Among the team is British player, Izzeri, who plays ADC for the new lineup.

The roster makes its return to the event as the final team announced among the invitees, after G2 Hel won last year’s event. It gives the altered roster a chance to defend its crown.

Matches are scheduled to begin from July 7th, with other matches taking place on July 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th, with the playoffs from July 28th to August 16th, with the finals taking place on August 29th.

The Esports Equals Cup is a long-running B tier event, aiming to offer opportunities for women and non-binary players in esports. This is the 5th year of the event, having started in 2021, thanks to initiatives from the DACH region, SK Gaming, Telekom (T-Mobile if you’re an old Brit like me) and other Esports Foundation members.

It comes at a time when more women’s events are popping up, with Riot going heavy on Game Changers marketing recently for its women-led teams. That event is scheduled to start on May 29th, where some of these teams will also compete.

It comes at a time where women in esports seems to have taken a slight backstep. Reports surfaced of Saudi events being problematic to women, Guild having issues with women, alongside other drama recently like the Heroic Sydney Sweeney joke. 

It’s why events like these are important, and can offer women a chance to compete all across Europe.

Craig Robinson, Senior Editor

Craig began his career with Esports News UK back in 2015/2016, looking to write about a passion while studying at Manchester Metropolitan University. He stayed there for several years before moving on to other websites to begin his career after graduating. Now he's back, covering esports adjacent topics and UK stories.

All Posts By Craig Robinson