LoL EWC 2026 Playoffs Betting Predictions – Friday, July 17

League of Legends Esports World Cup 2026 playoffs kick off on Friday, July 17, when the remaining eight teams begin their climb to the gold medal and the lion’s share of the US$2,000,000 prize pool.

Esportbet brings you free LoL betting predictions for the four games, along with expert picks and odds courtesy of the best esports bookmakers.

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  Fast Payouts

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Karmine Corp have not lived up to expectations in international LoL tournaments this season. They disappointed at the Mid-Season Invitational, and their performance against Gen.G in the opening round of Group B at the Esports World Cup was nothing to write home about either.

They have, however, handled Team Secret and Sentinels in the lower bracket, which could have given KC some momentum ahead of their clash against AG.AL.

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  The bookies' bookie

AG.AL won Group A, beating Dplus KIA and G2 Esports without any serious issues. This is not too shocking, as Anyone’s Legend had their moments in the LoL Pro League in the spring split and at times looked like one of the better Chinese teams.

While still known to be volatile and, at times, unpredictable, AG.AL have not shown anything so far at EWC to suggest they cannot handle Europe’s second-best team.

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Hanwha Life Esports and T1 meet again on Friday in a rematch from the LoL Champions Korea Road to MSI, when Hanwha Life Esports won 3-1.

Hanwha Life Esports have since won MSI and have not skipped a beat at EWC, beating MIBR and JD Gaming.

T1 advanced from Group C as the second seed, with a loss to Bilibili Gaming and two victories over GAM Esports.

This record is not too inspiring, as it includes yet another loss against a stronger team, having already slipped against BLG and G2 Esports during MSI.

Expecting T1 to upset Hanwha Life in the form of the reigning LCK champions is too optimistic. But it is easy to imagine this being a more competitive clash, given that T1 and HLE know each other well and will both be well prepared for the game.

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Dplus KIA have not been too convincing at the Esports World Cup. They lost to AG.AL in the first round of Group A, and even though Dplus bounced back with wins against FURIA and G2 Esports, they did not have to show much in either game.

FURIA were qualitatively outmatched, while G2 Esports made too many errors.

Bilibili Gaming, on the other hand, cruised through Group C with wins against Movistar KOI and T1. However, they were slightly lucky to defeat Movistar KOI in a game that proved BLG are not as invincible as they may seem.

Dplus KIA are notoriously unpredictable and volatile, which makes it hard to trust them. However, as underdogs, they are an appealing pick to do some damage.

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The best LoL bookmakers have Gen.G listed as firm favourites to defeat JD Gaming on Friday, and it is hard to argue with that logic.

Gen.G were one of the pre-tournament favourites, and they have not shown any signs of slowing down in Group B, where they dismantled Karmine Corp and Sentinels.

However, while Gen.G looked good against KC and Sentinels, they have yet to be properly tested, and JD Gaming, despite their flaws, will be Gen.G’s toughest opponents so far this tournament.

JD Gaming made it through Group D with wins against LYON and MIBR, and one defeat against Hanwha Life Esports.

The latter loss was not a terrible showing by JD Gaming, but they failed to keep up in the mid-to-late game and lost all the dragons.

JD Gaming showed they can individually hang with anyone, and with a slightly better approach to the mid-to-late game, they should have a solid chance to do some damage on Friday.

This is Gen.G’s game to lose, but JDG have the tools to leave a mark.