The second day of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship was marked by significant successes for Western regions and the continued absolute dominance of the South Korean LCK. Currently, two Korean, one European, and one North American team are just one step away from the quarterfinals with a 2-0 record.
South Korean squads remain undefeated in matches against other regions, but significant shifts occurred in their domestic matchups. The LCK's fourth seed, Dplus KIA, unexpectedly outplayed the reigning world champions, T1. In a slow macro game, DK seized the initiative thanks to Smash's performance against his former team. Meanwhile, the tournament's main favorites, Gen.G, confidently crushed Hanwha Life Esports: jungler Canyon completely outclassed Kanavi. Gen.G and DK advance to 2-0, while T1 and HLE drop to 1-1.
While the Chinese LPL tries to recover from a disastrous start, Western teams are actively strengthening their tournament positions. Spain's Movistar KOI cleanly defeated CTBC Flying Oyster and secured their second victory at the tournament with a strong showing from Supa. In a Western clash, North America's LYON defeated Europe's Karmine Corp thanks to better teamfighting and coordination from Inspired. MKOI and LYON now hold a 2-0 record.
For other European and North American representatives, the day was less stable. LEC champions G2 Esports managed to bounce back after a first-day loss by defeating LØS, but the team still looks shaky (especially amid Caps' slump in form). At the same time, Team Liquid remains the only winless Western team (0-2): due to extremely passive play and mechanical errors, they fell to Bilibili Gaming (BLG) and are now on the brink of elimination.
Chinese teams are trying to rectify their situation after going 0-4 on day one. In a regional derby, Top Esports (TES) took down reigning LPL champions Anyone's Legend. Despite visa issues for a starting player, TES won thanks to a strong individual performance by 369. Invictus Gaming also secured their first victory, beating Team Secret Whales: despite the opponent's early advantage, IG won through macro play and the experience of midlaner Rookie. As a result of these matches, Anyone's Legend finds themselves one step away from elimination.
The third round of the competition kicks off today at 19:00 EEST with a clash between Hanwha Life Esports and Invictus Gaming.
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