G2 Esports against Karmine Corp in the first round, LEC Spring playoffs bracket revealed

At the conclusion of the final LEC regular-season weekend, held during the Madrid Roadtrip event, the playoff bracket and match order have now officially been set. While the six qualified teams competing for the title and the two Mid-Season Invitational spots had already been confirmed before the weekend, the final standings within the top four still had the potential to significantly impact the playoff picture.

Following ’s two defeats this weekend, secured sole possession of first place in the standings, while and locked in their top-four finishes, with KC ultimately claiming second place. As a result, Team Vitality earned the right to choose their first-round playoff opponent between G2 and MKOI. Unsurprisingly, the French organization opted to face the Spanish side, respecting G2’s long-established reputation when it comes to playoff competition. It is also worth noting that the entirety of the upcoming stage will be played in best-of-five format.

Consequently, the Samurai will face Karmine Corp in the other opening series, offering a rematch of the most recent LEC Versus final as early as the first round of the playoffs. Beginning their campaign in the lower bracket, and will still have to wait to learn the identity of their opponents. Among the two teams defeated in the opening matchups, the lower-seeded side will face NAVI, while the other will be matched against GIANTX.

After a highly convincing regular season, Team Vitality will look to confirm their new status as the number one seed in the playoffs, where they are set to open their campaign against Movistar KOI. Defeated by the Spanish team during the previous playoffs, the Bees had taken their revenge during the second week of the Spring Split with a 2–1 victory and have shown substantial overall improvement since that earlier defeat. Movistar KOI, however, managed to take down Vitality once again during the EWC EMEA Qualifier by the same scoreline. All signs therefore point toward a closely contested series when the two teams meet on Saturday, May 23.

The following day, G2 Esports will face Karmine Corp. On one side, G2 once again took some time to find their rhythm during the regular season and dropped several games against Vitality, , and, on the final day, Movistar KOI. Despite this, the team remains consistently dangerous once the playoffs begin. It is no coincidence that they have not missed an MSI appearance since 2022.

On the other side, Karmine Corp appeared nearly unstoppable for much of the regular season, but the French organization stumbled with two defeats during the final weekend and now seems somewhat more vulnerable heading into a decisive series against a team that convincingly defeated them in their latest encounter. However, the memories of the contested LEC Versus final between the two teams still make this match look like an awaited one.

The winners of these first two best-of-five series will meet on Monday, May 25, with both a place in the grand final and qualification for MSI on the line. The competition will ultimately conclude on June 7 with the grand final.