G2 and FURIA Meet in EWC 2026 Group Stage

G2 Esports and FURIA arrived at the Esports World Cup from opposite ends of recent international form. G2 had beaten T1 3-1 before a 3-0 loss to LYON. FURIA's last two series were 3-0 defeats against LYON and T1. A best-of-one offered FURIA a clean reset, but it also removed every margin for error.

Caps, BrokenBlade, SkewMond, Hans Sama and Labrov lined up for G2. FURIA sent Guigo, Tatu, Tutsz, Ayu and JoJo onto the stage. The matchup put the established European core against a Brazilian side with little reason to play conservatively.

FURIA's Camille, Lee Sin, Jhin, Ambessa and Akali made its intentions clear. The composition wanted to move first, isolate targets and turn small openings into fights. G2 answered with Syndra, Leona, Naafiri, Gnar and Galio, matching that aggression with more ways to engage and reinforce a teammate once the action began.

The bans removed several of the safest answers. FURIA targeted Anivia, Vi, Pantheon, Shen and Kled; G2 took away Poppy, Jarvan IV, Cassiopeia, Rumble and Vayne. What remained was not a slow scaling contest. It was a draft built for collisions, and the one-game format rewarded whichever side found confidence first.