LoL - Worlds 2025: G2 Esports break the curse and qualify to quarters alongside HLE

Round 4 of 2025 Worlds' Swiss Stage began on Wednesday, and two new teams have secured their spots in the quarterfinals: Hanwha Life Esports and G2 Esports. They defeated CTBC Flyings Oyster and FlyQuest respectively, and now join KT Rolster and Anyone’s Legend among the final eight. As a reminder, the quarterfinals are set to take place from Tuesday, October 28, to Friday, October 31.

G2 Esports will therefore be this year's edition monkey. They have finally broken their curse of not reaching quarterfinals since 2020, and ended Europe's curse of not reaching quarters since Rogue's in 2022. For HLE, this will be their third appearance in the quarterfinals out of three participations. So far, their previous runs have both ended at this stage. They will await Sunday’s draw—held after the final matches of the Swiss Stage—to find out their next opponent.

In the opening match of the day, the Flying Oyster fought valiantly, showcasing bold forward plays and taking part in teamfights that often came down to the smallest details—especially in Game 2, which CFO nearly had in their grasp. Hanwha Life Esports, however, once again proved their strength in coordinated skirmishes. Yoo "Delight" Hwan-joong stood out throughout the series, combining sharp initiation with excellent control, while Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo and Park "Viper" Do-hyeon lived up to expectations, reassuring HLE fans with a 2-0 victory after the disappointing first-round loss to Anyone’s Legends.

Yu "JunJia" Chun-Chia also delivered an impressive performance for CFO, clearly making his mark in the jungle matchup against Han "Peanut" Wang-ho. Meanwhile, Choi "Zeus" Woo-je reached a major personal milestone, earning his 100th international victory across his career with T1 and Hanwha Life Esports—becoming only the eighth player ever to achieve such a feat.

A few hours later, G2 became the fourth team to qualify for the Worlds 2025 quarterfinals after taking down FlyQuest 2–1, sending the North American champions’ in a do-or-die series in the last round of Swiss Stage. The series featured a historic Dr. Mundo jungle pick, the first in 13 years who appeared on the Worlds stage in the hands of Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan.

And thanks to his very annoying pick, alongside a double-shockwave composition with Orianna and Rell, the spotlight ultimately belonged to the LEC representatives. This marks G2's first quarterfinal appearance since 2020, already in China — where they went on to reach the semifinals — and breaks a long-standing drought for Europe, whose last representative past the Swiss Stage was Rogue in 2022.

This successful run is the culmination of years of rebuilding and refinement for G2, following strategic roster changes made last year. Chief among them, support Labros "Labrov" Papoutsakis has emerged as the team’s brightest star, proving once again why many consider him the best in his role domestically since their MSI crash. “Our goal was just to stay in the moment and enjoy the game,” said SkewMond after the game on the broadcast. "We never gave up—even after disappointing results at internationals, we came into this Worlds stronger than ever."

Steven "Hans Sama" Liv echoed that confidence after the victory: “This isn’t where it ends. We made mistakes, but we were more clutch. Game 1 was rough—they picked an easy engage comp—but in Games 2 and 3 we were proactive and much more connected, especially between jungle and support.” For G2, reaching the quarterfinals is only the beginning. No matter their next opponent, their goal is clear: to defy expectations and make a deep run in the Worlds 2025 Playoffs.