The upper bracket of the League of Legends MSI 2026 Knockout Stage puts Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) up against the LEC first seed G2 Esports. Both teams won their round-one matchups, and whoever wins this tie will move to the next stage and face the victor of the BLG vs LYON series. On the flip side, the losing team will fall to the lower bracket and will compete against the winner of T1 vs FURIA in an elimination series.
With that said, here are the details about the HLE vs G2 clash in the League of Legends MSI 2026 Knockout Stage (Bracket Stage).
Note: All LoL MSI 2026 matches will be played in a best-of-five, Fearless Draft format, using LoL patch 26.13.
HLE vs G2 in League of Legends MSI 2026 Knockout Stage: Which team is expected to win?
Prediction
After joining LoL MSI 2026 as the LCK first seed, HLE started its journey with a clean 3-0 sweep against Secret Whales. All five players have maintained their regional form and have now slightly adjusted their champion pools because of the current LoL meta.
The top-tier ADCs are currently opting for mage champions. Gumayusi also picked Ziggs and Mel during the Secret Whales series and then dominated the bot lane. On the other hand, G2’s ADC, Hans Sama, in its previous series, only picked AD-focused champions. It will be interesting to see how the bot lane matchup pans out and whether the teams execute different game plans.
There is no doubt that HLE is the clear favorite against G2, given that the team’s solo laners and jungler are in excellent form. Furthermore, the bot lane duo of Gumayusi and Delight is also doing a fantastic job at carrying their roles in the current meta. Delight timely rotates to other lanes for gankings, while Gumayusi beautifully plays the weak side for the team.
However, G2’s comeback against LPL second seed Top Esports was nothing short of extraordinary. The team lost the first two games to go 0-2, then showcased fantastic resilience to win the series 3-2. While the mid-jungle duo of Caps and SkewMond struggled initially, they were exceptional in the last three games, especially during rotations and objective fights.
G2’S bot lane, Hans Sama and Labrov, also performed admirably in the winning games. The latter, especially, greatly synergized with SkewMond to catch Top Esports players off guard, making it much easier to gradually increase the team’s gold lead.
Overall, the HLE vs G2 series is going to be interesting, with the bot lane battle between Guma-Delight and Hans Sama-Labrov being a key part. Also, the drafting strategy will matter a lot, given that the top MSI 2026 teams are opting for mage ADCs. Regardless, HLE’s individual brilliance is currently superior to G2’s, which should give them an edge in winning the series.
Prediction: HLE 3 – 1 G2 Esports
Head-to-head record
These two teams previously played once, at LoL Worlds 2024, with HLE securing the best-of-one victory.
Previous results
HLE won its previous match 3-0 against Secret Whales in the MSI 2026 Knockout Stage.
On the other hand, G2 defeated Top Esports 3-2 in the same stage.
Rosters
Hanwha Life Esports
- Top: Zeus
- Jungle: Kanavi
- Mid: Zeka
- ADC: Gumayusi
- Support: Delight
- Head coach: Homme
G2 Esports
- Top: BrokenBlade
- Jungle: SkewMond
- Mid: Caps
- ADC: Hans Sama
- Support: Labrov
- Head coach: Dylan Falco
Also read: 5 best mid laners in League of Legends MSI 2026, ranked
When and where to watch HLE vs G2 in League of Legends MSI 2026 Knockout Stage
As soon as Top Esports vs Secret Whales ends, the HLE vs G2 series will start immediately. The expected starting times of HLE vs G2 are mentioned below:
- PDT: July 4, 2026, at 11:15 pm
- CEST: July 5, 2026, at 8:15 am
- IST: July 5, 2026, at 11:45 am
- Beijing CST: July 5, 2026, at 2:15 pm
- KST: July 5, 2026, at 3:15 pm
To watch the series live, visit the following websites:
Aside from the official LoL Esports stream, fans can also tune in to Caedrel (Twitch) for an interesting watch party.
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Edited by Debayan Saha