BLG overpowers G2 to claim The First Stand 2026 title and their first international trophy!

The First Stand 2026 has delivered chaos, upsets, and now a Grand Final no one expected. G2 Esports and Bilibili Gaming (BLG) stand one step away from glory, meeting in a Grand Final that few could have predicted. Against all odds, both teams fought through some of the toughest competition in the world to reach the biggest moment of their careers.

Many players now stand on the brink of their first international title. For BLG, the first in the organization’s history. For G2, a defining moment for four of their players. Meanwhile, Park “Viper” Do-hyeon chases history, aiming to become the first two-time champion after his 2025 win with Hanwha Life Esports. The stories are set, but once the games begin, only the level of play will decide it all. Let’s watch some of the best League of Legends in the world!

Tomorrow, I’ll prove I’m the number one top laner in the world.

BLG Bin

Where to watch The First Stand finals

You can watch the Grand Finals between G2 and BLG on the League of Legends esports official YouTube and Twitch channels. The series starts at 6 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. CET, and it will be a best-of-five (Bo5). Grab your snacks and enjoy the best of League of Legends.

G2 1:3 BLG – Live Score

Either team will need to win three games to secure The First Stand 2026 trophy. The winners will take home a $250,000 prize pool.

Champions banned

Champions picked

G2 vs BLG: Match recaps and analysis

Come back to this section as the series goes on.

Game 1

Everyone is on the edge of their seats to watch the incredible matches ahead. The first match started with a great early advantage from Caps, who became really annoying with this Aurora. As for the bot lane, which has been very dominant in the tournament, this time was not doing much for G2 as Labrov ended up having some important kills instead of Hans Sama’s Yunara.

However, Caps were starting to look very scary as the game went on, and the team fights gave him a 6/0 score. On the BLG side, Xun was being very impactful in the plays, helping Bin get those kills and increase his lane advantage. G2 picks in different lanes have been proving very effective as they led BLG to lose important spells and even die. In the mid-game, G2 was starting to have a considerable gold advantage after a great engage from SkewMond.

BLG slowly came back due to their great positioning during the team fights and Bin’s level and damage advantage. Slowly, they started to come back to the match, forcing G2 to defend instead of attacking. Viper’s Sivir with four items and entering the late game was too scary. Everything was going to be decided in the small details. It was at the 37-minute mark that G2 took advantage of BLG’s bad positioning and won the game fight.

Game 2

In Game 2, G2 didn’t quite start with the right foot as important spells were lost early. However, in a two-versus-two (2v2) fight on the bot, the advantage started to grow as both SkewMond and Hans Sama got crucial kills. A dive on the bot allowed SkewMond to come back to the game after Xun took away most of his jungle.

Similar to what happened in the series against JDG, BLG started to focus on the top lane and attack it with many players to cause bigger pressure on G2’s game plan. BLG was slowly regaining control of the game, collecting kills and playing the fights very well coordinated. The game was starting to look very difficult for the European crew. Entering the late stage area, BLG’s advantage was growing as the gold difference hit the 5k gold.

The BLG composition was so much stronger in the game due to their global ultimates and their capacity to reposition easily on the map and pick fights. G2 was not able to fight the huge impact of global ultimates; Hans Sama Corki was not strong enough to cause damage and Labrov’s Bard was not present at all.

Game 3

The third game was not good for sleepy people, as both teams started really slowly. BLG Xun brought us an incredible read on jungle pathing and team fights as he started to be very impactful in the game. He also ganked mid and helped Mel keep her gold advantage. As for the top lane, it is like an island; something is happening there, but you don’t quite care much, for now.

The 4k gold advantage was putting BLG in great support towards victory. The mid-fight at the 18-minute mark was great to increase the advantage as Hans Sama failed two ultimates, SkewMond was not doing much on the map, and Caps Anivia’s lack of mobility was not saving him in the team fights. At the same time, Bin’s Jax was increasing his gold difference against the Sion.

While a good fight on the top side helped G2 regain some confidence in the game, it was not enough to ignore BLG’s firepower from Ashe and Jax. Even though Sion is very tanky, BLG was too powerful.

Game 4

Game 4 started with a good invade from SkewMond, but it escalated fast to a not-so-good play as Cassiopeia secured two kills. When BLG was starting to build their momentum, they were greedy and stayed too long on G2’s jungle, giving two free kills to Hans Sama’s Kai’Sa and one to K’Sante.

Slowly in the game, G2 was starting to look like the Avengers and coming together to put out great fights that were giving both Caps, SkewMond, and BrokenBlade a solid advantage in the game. In this match, we started to see a more confident Labrov, saving the team in important fights and allowing Caps’ Viktor to grow in the game.

In just a matter of minutes, Camille pushed the side lanes, applied pressure, BLG forced a Baron fight, and in a spectacular teamfight, led by Knight and Bin, proved decisive in securing the team’s victory. GG BLG!

G2 vs BLG: The beginning of a new era in League of Legends?

For over a decade, League of Legends has been dominated by either the Korean or the Chinese organizations. The last time Europe won an international event was back in 2019, when G2 Esports defeated Team Liquid and won the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).

The region has struggled to find consistent success on the international stage, yet its teams have never stopped fighting to prove they belong among the Asian giants. Back in 2019, G2 Esports made a historic run to the Worlds Grand Final, coming heartbreakingly close but falling short of the trophy and the Golden Road.

In the years that followed, even reaching another grand final felt out of reach. It wasn’t until 2025 that hope resurfaced, when Karmine Corp battled their way to The First Stand finals, only to be denied by Hanwha Life. One year later, a European organization is back at the tournament’s finals after defeating and stomping one of the best teams in the world, Gen.G.

More than second place

On the other side, Bilibili Gaming has been trying to shake off the “runner-up” label. Despite having some of the best players in the world, the team has yet to secure an international title. MSI 2023, MSI 2024, and LoL Worlds 2024 all ended the same way: second-place finishes.

The Chinese team has long been dominant at home, but on the international stage, it’s almost as if a curse has followed them. Now, at the First Stand 2026 Finals, they have a golden opportunity to change that narrative, bringing some joy to their fans.

“Tomorrow, I’ll prove I’m the number one top laner in the world,” wrote Bin on his Weibo profile. Can BLG finally end their curse and bring an international title home?

It all comes down to this moment as the first international tournament of the season reaches its end. The stage is set for the best League of Legends in the world, and we’re ready to witness history unfold. Best of luck to both teams!