Two tickets to EWC LoL Main Event are on the line in the EMEA qualifier, and the bracket is starting to take a familiar shape. Karmine Corp and G2 Esports both came through their upper bracket semifinals without dropping a map, setting up a final that doubles as a preview of one of the LEC's hottest rivalries. Below them, the ERL pair that had been driving the storyline — Solary and — fared differently.
KC 2-0 MKOI. Canna set the tempo in both games — dominant in teamfights on Galio, then landing decisive ultimates on MKOI's carries with Sion. What was feared by KC fans last year is now loved: Yike’s Vi delivered again — more than 71,4% winrate on the pick across all competitions for Karmine this year. For the second time in less than a week, Karmine Corp got the better of Movistar KOI. “La venganza” will wait.
G2 2-0 NAVI. There are no debate. G2 are moving through this stage in clear form, with BrokenBlade on Vayne particularly effective from start to finish — a confident, controlled execution that NAVI never found an angle into. G2 look like the most settled team in the qualifier right now.
Solary fall to GX. The EMEA Masters Winter champions had already added a notable scalp to their qualifier run, eliminating Fnatic 2-0 in the first round of the lower bracket. Tonight the step up was too high. GIANTX weren't flawless — a few cracks showed — but the cleaner macro and teamfight execution made the difference. Solary leave the qualifier with the second-best ERL story of the year still very much intact.
Galions upset Shifters. A messy, tight series, blow for blow between the two sides. Galions flipped a losing Game 2 on a clean teamfight — a key moment that captures their knack for staying alive in difficult windows. For Shifters, it's a disappointing exit. The org rebuilt the jungle position specifically for this qualifier, swapping Boukada out for Sheo, betting on the new Sheo–nuc pairing to find a synergy that the regular season hadn't delivered. There were promising signs, but not enough to keep the season alive. Galions, meanwhile, are the last ERL team standing — and after dispatching SK Gaming in the first round, the upset script is starting to look less like an accident.
The upper bracket final, then, queues up the next chapter of the season's defining rivalry. G2 took the LEC Versus 2026 grand final 3-2 in March, then swept KC 2-0 at the Madrid Roadtrip on May 8 — Karmine Corp's first defeat of the regular season. The two will meet again on May 23 in the LEC Spring upper bracket. This EWC match will be a direct ticket to the main event for one of them — but for both, it's also a final read on each other before the playoff series that matters more.
The two winners of these matches meet in the lower bracket semifinal. The team that comes out of that series will face the loser of the KC–G2 upper final for the second and final ticket to the EWC 2026 main event.
