Gen.G reach LoL Worlds semifinals after beating Hanwha Life Esports

Gen.G Esports emerged victories from a highly anticipated League of Legends World Championship quarterfinal showdown against Hanwha Life Esports on Tuesday, taking one step closer to the Summoner’s Cup.

Gen.G travelled to China as the outright favorites to win LoL Worlds 2025, and now they are just two wins away from hoisting the trophy.

Following an uninspiring display in the Swiss Stage, Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon and his crew were paired with Korean rivals Hanwha Life Esports for the first round of the playoffs.

The familiar clash, which has ended in Gen.G’s favor seven times this season, was not expected to offer any surprises.

The LoL Champions Korea (LCK) champions entered the match as -400 favorites with the best esports betting sites, and despite a minor hiccup on map three, they delivered.

The first LoL Worlds 2025 quarterfinal clash kicked off with the two teams exchanging strong picks in the draft. However, despite a promising showing from Hanwha Life Esports and a Baron buff, Gen.G found openings in the mid-late game and edged out a victory.

The second map was a true treat for LoL fans, extending over 58 minutes before Gen.G won a crucial teamfight to close it out.

With their backs against the wall, Hanwha Life Esports found a second wind on map three and got their names on the scoreboard despite a superb performance from Gen. G’s Park “Viper” Do-hyeon on Sivir.

HLE entered the fourth map with a strong composition, featuring Camille, Nocturne, Aurora, Smolder, and Leona against Gen.G’s K’Sante, Nidalee, Hwei, Yunara, and Alistar.

However, Hanwha Life could not find a response to Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu’s Nidalee and Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk’s Yunara, suffering a crushing loss in just over 32 minutes.

The LCK Cup champions are the first team to be eliminated from the LoL Worlds playoffs, significantly thinning out the field for Gen.G’s title hopes.

The series also marked the final game for Han “Peanut” Wang-ho, who is set to retire from pro League of Legends play to complete his mandatory Korean military service.

Gen.G now await their semifinals opponents, which will be decided when KT Rolster face off against CTBC Flying Oyster on Wednesday.

The latest esports betting odds have KT Rolster as -163.93 favorites to reach the final four, which would mark the team’s best placement at LoL Worlds after quarterfinal exits in 2015, 2018, and 2023.