Gen.G beat Invictus Gaming 3-0 to become the first team into the Worlds 2026 grand final. The result ends a run of semifinal exits and gives mid laner Chovy his first shot at a world title.
The Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, hosted the semifinal for the LCK champions.
The deciding game ran about 40 minutes. Duro’s Nautilus caught IG carry Jiaqi’s Ezreal. Gen.G won the fight that followed and pushed into the base.
The top seed’s record at the tournament remains clean. Gen.G had already beaten IG in Round 1 of the Swiss Stage, and they have not lost a series at this Worlds. To reach the semifinal, they swept LYON 3-0 on November 4.
Gen.G finally clear the semifinal hurdle
KSV Esports bought the Samsung Galaxy roster in November 2017 and rebranded as Gen.G in May 2018. The semifinal stage had since become a wall. Gen.G had finished 3rd-4th in four of their previous five Worlds appearances without ever reaching the championship match.
The roster mixes final experience with a first-timer. Canyon is heading to his third Worlds final. He won the title with DAMWON Gaming in 2020 and finished runner-up with Dplus KIA in 2021. He also lost in the semifinals with Gen.G in 2024 and 2025. Bot laner Ruler is also heading to his third Worlds final. Chovy, by contrast, has never before played for a world title as a pro, so the Brooklyn match will be new ground for the mid laner.
In his post-series broadcast interview, Chovy said he was enjoying this Worlds and felt good that the run was continuing. He declined to name a preferred opponent for the final.
IG’s climb from the bottom of the LPL ends
For IG, the semifinal capped a long climb. Earlier in the summer, the team sat at the bottom of the LPL. They had to work their way through Nirvana Group, the playoffs and the regional finals to qualify. They entered Worlds 2026 as the LPL’s fourth seed. To reach the semifinal, IG beat Top Esports 3-1 on November 3.
The run with TheShy and Rookie was IG’s first Worlds semifinal appearance since 2019. They also finished 3rd-4th that year. This time they leave with a share of a total prize pool of $5,000,000 USD, contested by 19 teams.
Gen.G’s opponent will come from the second semifinal between T1 and Bilibili Gaming on Sunday, November 8. The final follows on Saturday, November 14, at 2 PM EST at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
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