Western Teams Face Elimination at the League of Legends World Championship

The League of Legends World Championship delivered a punishing evening for Western representatives as both G2 Esports and Team Liquid were eliminated from the tournament during the Swiss Stage. Team Liquid, entering as the top seed from the LCS, suffered a 2-1 defeat against Brazilian squad LOS, while European powerhouse G2 Esports was swept in a 2-0 series by South Korea's Hanwha Life Esports.

The matchup between Team Liquid and LOS proved to be a grueling battle. After trading wins in the first two games, the decisive third game stretched to 47 minutes. Despite multiple opportunities to close out the map, Team Liquid faltered, allowing LOS to break into their base. LOS secured the series victory behind strong performances from Zest and Curse, moving to a 2-2 record in the Swiss Stage while sending Team Liquid home in front of local fans.

Meanwhile, G2 Esports struggled to find answers against Hanwha Life Esports. The South Korean champions controlled the tempo from the start, as Kanavi delivered a stellar performance on Lee Sin in the first game. G2 attempted to mount a comeback in the second game led by BrokenBlade, but Gumayusi and Zeka dismantled the European defense, sealing the sweep in just 26 minutes.

Reflecting on the draw, Hanwha Life support Yu "Delight" Hwan-jung noted that his team was surprised to encounter G2 so early in the bracket. "When we were looking at the pool, we were like, 'Why are they here? They're not supposed to be here,'" Delight said. "So when we drew G2, the impression I got was, 'Oh, they are going home early.'"

With the conclusion of the fourth round, attention shifts to the decisive fifth round of the Swiss Stage. Hanwha Life Esports advanced to face Bilibili Gaming in a high-stakes series. Elsewhere, Karmine Corp is set to play Movistar KOI, securing at least one European representative in the top eight, while LOS prepares to face LYON in another elimination showdown.

Other teams are also finding their footing as the tournament progresses. Karmine Corp managed a 2-1 victory over CTBC Flying Oyster to reach a 2-2 record. Toplaner Canna expressed optimism about his team's trajectory, stating that their execution and scrim performance have steadily improved. "Our level in scrims has still improved recently," Canna said. "The team has found a very good balance... if we clean up our execution a little, I think there is no team we cannot beat."