What’s next for Honor of Kings esports? KIC and Nation Clash details revealed

The Honor of Kings World Cup (KWC) has ended, but there is still plenty of international and regional esports action left for the game in 2025.

Level Infinite has announced a new addition to its line-up of international tournaments, called the Nation Clash, along with the host country and prize pool for the year-end KIC. To top it all off, the publisher revealed that the top two teams from the KIC will head to China to compete in another international competition.

The Honor of Kings Nation Clash is set to be the third cross-region tournament in the 2025 esports calendar after the Invitational and World Cup.

This tournament will only feature teams from three regions: Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. The first edition will take place in Malaysia this October.

Likely, the top teams from the regional leagues in each of the three countries will be invited. These regional competitions are as follows:

Furthermore, the previous winners of all three leagues will be receiving a team-themed Flowborn outfit.

Currently, the prize pool, format and exact schedule for the Nation Clash hasn’t been revealed. With the MKL ending on October 19th, it will likely take place towards the end of the month.

The 2025 Honor of Kings International Championship is set to take place in November. This year, the tournament will happen in the Philippines with the KIC receiving an exclusive hero skin.

This marks the second global event for Honor of Kings in the Philippines this year after the 2025 Invitational happened in the country in March.

Just like last year, there won’t be Chinese teams competing in the tournament. However, the top three teams from the KIC will qualify for the Challenger Cup in China this December.

The Challenger Cup is a prestigious Chinese tournament as part of the calendar year. It has been taking place after the King Pro League Grand Final since 2021. For the first time, the tournament will invite non-Chinese teams through the AIC.

The separation of Chinese and international Honor of Kings tournaments while providing a pathway for both to meet is a great decision. This is because China is far ahead in terms of development of talent within Honor of Kings and tends to dominate in international tournaments.

This was on display at the recently concluded KWC in Riyadh, where two Chinese teams lost just one game in the 17 games they played against international teams.

Besides these new events, the leagues in other regions will also begin soon. The schedule for these is as follows:

“We’ve built an esports ecosystem for players worldwide,” said James Yang, Senior Director of Level Infinite Global Esports Centre. “Over 160,000 players have created their own esports stories. We see these stories worldwide, happening in each player’s daily lives.

“And in the second half of 2025, we’ll tell these stories even more fiercely, with greater tournaments, lower barriers to enter and more ways for players to make their mark.”

Lastly, the Honor of Kings Open Series and Campus Series (KCS) are also set to return. Top teams from the Open Series may also get a chance to make it to the KIC. Recently, Twisted Minds qualified through the Open Series for the KWC and achieved a remarkable fourth place.