Worlds 2026: LØS and Hanwha Life knock out Liquid and G2 as Round 5 decides final quarter-final spots

Team Liquid and G2 Esports are out of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. Both lost elimination series on Friday, 30 October, in the fourth round of the Swiss stage. Brazil's LØS beat Liquid 2-1, and Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) swept G2 2-0. The two winners move on to tonight's fifth and final Swiss round. Six teams, all at 2-2, will play three best-of-three series for the last three quarter-final spots. In Malaysia, the action runs from early Sunday morning, 1 November.

LØS outlast Liquid in a 47-minute decider

LØS controlled Game 1 from start to finish. Hotspawn reports that Curse finished 7/0/6 on Trundle, with veteran support CoreJJ on Nautilus. Liquid levelled the series with a scaling composition built around Ornn after a game of back-and-forth gold swings. The decider lasted more than 47 minutes, and LØS eventually closed it out with Zest playing Tristana in the top lane.

The result ends Liquid's tournament at 1-3. Earlier in the Swiss stage they had beaten Anyone's Legend 2-0.

Zeus leads HLE past G2

The LCK's Hanwha Life looked far more like a contender in the late series. GosuGamers reports that HLE won Game 1 in 27 minutes with a 22-10 kill score and Game 2 in 26 minutes at 19-7. Choi "Zeus" Woo-je was the standout, playing K'Sante in the first game and Ambessa in the second, according to Hotspawn. Kanavi also caused G2 problems in the jungle.

G2 go home with a 1-3 record and a US$125,000 consolation payout, according to GosuGamers. Their only win came against LØS in Round 2. HLE had lost to Gen.G and Invictus Gaming after an opening win over Top Esports, so they also needed this series just to stay alive.

Round 5: three series, three tickets

Hotspawn lists the final-round pairings as:

• LØS vs LYON
• Karmine Corp vs Movistar KOI, which guarantees a European team a quarter-final spot
• Hanwha Life Esports vs Bilibili Gaming

Each winner finishes 3-2 and qualifies, and each loser is eliminated at 2-3. ESTNN gives the start times as 1pm, 4pm and 7pm US Eastern time on Saturday. In Malaysia that is 1am, 4am and 7am MYT on Sunday, 1 November. The reports we checked did not confirm which series is played in which slot, so check the official LoL Esports schedule.

Who is already through

Five teams have booked quarter-final places. Gen.G and Dplus KIA went 3-0, while T1, Invictus Gaming and Top Esports finished 3-1. Anyone's Legend, Team Secret Whales, CTBC Flying Oyster, Team Liquid and G2 Esports are out.

The quarter-final draw takes place after Round 5. According to the format guide cited by Timesaver, Gen.G and Dplus KIA, as the two 3-0 teams, will each be drawn against a 3-2 team. The remaining four qualifiers fill the other two quarter-finals.

The knockout stage begins in Allen, Texas. Best-of-five quarter-finals run from 3 to 6 November and the semi-finals follow on 7 and 8 November. Matches start at 4pm US Central time, which is 6am MYT the next day. The final is on 14 November at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Key takeaways

• LØS beat Team Liquid 2-1 and HLE beat G2 2-0, eliminating both teams at 1-3.
• Zeus starred for HLE on K'Sante and Ambessa. Curse went 7/0/6 for LØS in Game 1.
• Round 5 is LØS vs LYON, Karmine Corp vs Movistar KOI, and HLE vs Bilibili Gaming.
• Round 5 series start at about 1am, 4am and 7am MYT on 1 November.
• Gen.G, Dplus KIA, T1, Invictus Gaming and Top Esports are already in the quarter-finals.

FAQ

Q: When is the final Swiss round of Worlds 2026 in Malaysia time? A: The three series start at about 1am, 4am and 7am MYT on Sunday, 1 November (1pm, 4pm and 7pm US Eastern time on Saturday).

Q: Which teams are still fighting for quarter-final spots? A: LØS, LYON, Karmine Corp, Movistar KOI, Hanwha Life Esports and Bilibili Gaming. All six are 2-2, and the three winners advance.

Q: When do the Worlds 2026 quarter-finals start? A: The quarter-finals are on 3 to 6 November in Allen, Texas. With a 4pm Central start, each day's match is at 6am MYT the following morning.

Sources: Hotspawn, GosuGamers, ESTNN, Timesaver, Strafe