In
League of Legends Esports EMEA and North America never need much of a reason to turn a a match into something personal. Years of regional pride, unforgettable upsets and painful defeats collide on Summoner's Rift, and for this MSI 2026 it was no different as
faced
in another chapter of
League's longest inter-regional rivalry.
And once again it was the LCS who came out on top as LYON took down the LEC's first seed in a convincing 3-0. After G2 had defeated
just a couple of days prior, EMEA's fans had all reasons to believe the LEC powerhouse could go the distance once more at MSI. However, LYON came onto the Rift roaring and eliminated the the LEC samurais with a convincing performance.
With G2 now eliminated from MSI 2026 there aren’t LEC representatives remaining in the competition. And with LYON winning yet another series against a first seed team they have locked in a podium finish, now look to defeat
to reach the event’s Grand Final.
EMEA and North America have traded blows for years, but recently the rivalry has tilted in NA's favor. After BDS defeated Golden Guardians at Worlds 2023 Qualifying Series, NA teams won the next three international best-of-fives. So before today's series even started, NA already held a 4-3 lead in Riot Bo5 matches and had won 12 of the 22 games played between the regions.
The latest chapter in the NA vs EU rivalry
The first game was slow to get going as both teams played carefully and neither wanted to make the first big mistake.
LYON picked up first blood, but G2 answered with a cross-map play in the top lane to keep things even, and the game stayed close until the first big teamfight, where
Saint's Sylas found a huge engage that gave LYON the edge.
G2 fought back around the next dragon, stopping LYON from claiming Soul and briefly taking the lead, but the LCS side stayed calm, secured the Hextech Soul — and later Baron— slowly pushing G2 into their base. Before the Elder Dragon could even spawn, Saint once again found a perfect flank onto G2's carries, leaving EMEA with no way to defend their Nexus as LYON took game one.
Game two kicked off much better for G2, who found first blood in the bottom lane and looked in control early. However, LYON kept getting out victorious from skirmishes —
especially around the top side — and quickly built a strong gold lead. The LEC representatives refused to give up and slowly worked their way back into the game, bringing themselves to Dragon Soul point and making it look like the series could be tied.
Instead, the decisive moment
came around Baron, where LYON won a teamfight — despite being a player down — completely stopped G2's comeback and used the momentum to close out the game for a 2-0 lead.
And then the last game of the series was simply a masterclass from LYON.
They built an early lead, controlled every objective, and never gave G2 a chance to get back into the game, while the LEC representatives looked unusually uncoordinated and struggled to find answers. Just like in the previous games, the biggest teamfights all went in LYON's favor, as the North American side stayed patient, waited for the right moment to engage, and slowly tightened their grip on the map before
closing out the game and completing a dominant 3-0 sweep.
LYON have now beaten three first-seeded teams during their incredible MSI 2026 run, but their biggest challenge is still to come as they head into a match against LCK First seed HLE.
