The group stage of the League of Legends EWC Esports World Cup is over. Following two days of matches, the eight knockout-stage teams have been decided. For our region's three representatives, BLG in Group C triumphed over T1 in the upper bracket, booking their quarterfinal spot with back-to-back victories. AL in Group A swept past G2 with ease to enter the elimination round. JDG fell to HLE but then defeated LOS 2-0 in the lower bracket. As a result, all three LPL squads advanced to the last eight.

All four LCK teams—HLE and GEN with perfect records, while T1 and DK fought their way back after dropping to the lower bracket—also qualified. A surprising outcome was DK's clean sweep of G2 in a best-of-three in the losers' bracket. Shortly after the EWC began, news broke that DK's funding chain had snapped, with the club owing players a month's salary. The team's recent response has confirmed these rumors.

Despite not being paid, the players still gave their all in the matches. It seems they are aware that DK is planning to sell them; if they underperform at the EWC, they might struggle to find good jobs later. Aside from the Chinese and Korean teams, KC is the only Western team in the quarterfinals. KC's qualification was largely due to a favorable group draw—their group, apart from GEN, consisted of weak teams like TSW and SEN, making advancement almost inevitable.

After the eight teams were finalized, Kobe and Doublelift conducted the draw for the knockout stage. Thanks to Doublelift's "magic hand," an LCK internal matchup was created: T1 and HLE will face each other in the elimination round. For the other three matches, LPL got a relatively good draw: BLG will take on DK, the weakest LCK team; AL will face KC, the sole European representative; and JDG will go up against GEN.

The draws for BLG and AL are favorable. As long as they play normally and don't underestimate their opponents, both teams have a high chance of reaching the semifinals. JDG, however, faces a tough challenge against the tournament favorites GEN and will likely be eliminated. In terms of bracket placement, AL and HLE are in the same half, while BLG and GEN are in the other half. Barring any upsets, the semifinal matchups are expected to be AL vs. HLE and BLG vs. GEN.

Let's briefly analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each matchup in these four best-of-three series. In the upper bracket, AL vs. KC is frankly not very exciting. AL takes the EWC seriously (since they need AG's ranking to secure prize money), and there is a clear skill gap between the two teams. AL has an edge in every lane, and as long as they play steadily, they shouldn't lose. As for T1 vs. HLE, T1 is likely to lose because Doran's form hasn't improved much compared to MSI.

Doran even got solo-killed by a Vietnamese top laner. Against Zeus, his laning ability will be completely exposed. Although Faker has regained some form, Oner has been underperforming. Against a top-tier team like HLE, if T1's top side and jungle are broken through, the mid and bottom lanes won't be able to carry. Remember, when BLG played HLE, only the top lane had issues, yet Zeus single-handedly led the team to victory. T1's chances are very low.

In the lower bracket, BLG vs. DK is also without much suspense. DK's players haven't received their salaries, the team is on the verge of dissolution, and the League of Legends division may even be sold. On top of the inherent skill disparity, their mindset has been affected, making it hard to see any path to victory. Finally, JDG vs. GEN: while we'd love to support JDG, GEN is simply too strong. JDG is at a disadvantage in every position, and even if all their players perform at their peak, it would still be a struggle.

Conclusion:

Whether the LPL can win the EWC championship now depends on AL and BLG. If both reach the semifinals, their opponents will be HLE and GEN. AL hasn't played internationally in a while, and it's unclear if they can still hold up this year, but their chances against Hanwha are slim. BLG, on the other hand, has championship potential. Although GEN is strong, BLG is no pushover—it's not impossible for them to claim the title by defeating three LCK teams in a row.

So, do you think JDG can beat GEN?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!