On June 19, Riot Games officially announced the launch of the League of Legends Game Changers (LGC) Rising, a competitive circuit dedicated to women and some other marginalized genders. This Tuesday, following their victories in round 1 of the Equal Esports Cup (EEC) playoffs, G2 Hel and Solary Académie became the first two teams to qualify for this historic new competition.

This edition of the Equal Esports Cup is acting as a qualifier for the inaugural split of LGC Rising, which will kick off in September 2025. The top three teams from the EEC secure direct entry into the new Game Changers league. With their wins on Tuesday, G2 Hel and Solary Académie qualified for the Grand Final and have therefore officially locked in two of those spots.

However, one question still remains unanswered. Additional LGC Rising spots will be granted through an open qualifier (two teams) and direct invites to three League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC)-affiliated organizations, rumored to be SK Gaming, Team Vitality, and G2 Esports — the only current LEC orgs having women's rosters. If G2 receive an invite as expected, that would technically give them two qualifying slots, raising uncertainty over whether the EEC's third qualifying spot will be passed down to fourth place.

G2-0, #SLYWIN

In terms of results, there were few surprises. G2 Hel has been dominant since the start of the tournament, finishing first in group A with a 9-1 record, dropping only a single match to Vitality Rising Bees. The Bees themselves finished second with an 8-2 scoreline. In Group B, Solary Académie topped the standings with a 7-3 record, followed by Nexus Reapers at 6-4. This set up the playoff matchups: G2 Hel vs Nexus Reapers, and Solary vs Vitality Rising Bees.

The first playoff match went according to script, with G2 Hel sweeping Nexus Reapers 2-0. Game 1 remained relatively close until the 24th minute, when G2 executed a clean 5-for-0 teamfight, snowballing the game from there. Game 2, on the other hand, was completely one-sided. G2 Hel ramped up the pressure much earlier and built a 10K gold lead by the 19-minute mark, closing the game out in under 25 minutes.

The second series was far more uncertain on paper, and it delivered on that potential — but it was Solary Académie who ultimately came out on top with a 2-0 win. Game 1 was a back-and-forth marathon from start to finish. Solary had better early-game objective control, but Vitality roared back into the game, amassing a 5K gold lead around the 25-minute mark. What followed was a chaotic series of fights, Elder Dragons, inhibitors, and Nashors. The game was finally decided after Solary secured another Nashor and the Elder Dragon in a 50/50 situation, won the teamfight at the pit, while Evie "Pivotless" Pullen executed a backdoor, solo-ending the game at 44:40.

Game 2 was another drawn-out battle, but Solary found a breakthrough at the 29-minute mark, securing Nashor, Drake, a few kills, and Atakhan to initiate their snowball. They wrapped up the game in 37 minutes to secure the 2-0.

Despite their losses, both Nexus Reapers and Vitality Rising Bees still have a shot at LGC Rising. Both teams drop to the Lower Bracket, where they can still reach the final qualification spot. The upcoming lower bracket matchups are Nexus Reapers vs Zerance Bloom and Galions Pearl vs Vitality Rising Bees. Meanwhile, G2 Hel and Solary Académie will clash in the Upper Bracket Final for a place in the Grand Final of the Equal Esports Cup.

G2 Hel & Solary Académie Rosters

G2 Hel

Solary Académie