European Underdog MKOI Stuns BLG as Chinese Fans Fume at Worlds
The League of Legends World Championship, known this year as S16, has produced its first genuine shock of the Swiss stage: MKOI, a team from Europe’s third seed, defeated Chinese powerhouse BLG. The loss dropped BLG to a third consecutive defeat for Chinese teams at the tournament and set off a loud, frustrated reaction across Chinese social media and esports commentary.
The result was not merely an upset on paper. Before the match, ten separate Chinese-language co-stream commentators all predicted a BLG victory, according to a pre-match survey reported by the livestream platform. When the game ended the other way, G2’s official account posted a gloating message in Chinese: “Our EU has strength, has strength!” — a reference to Europe’s long-running rivalry with China’s LPL region.
Much of the anger focused on BLG’s bottom lane. Star AD carry Viper, playing Ashe, was killed in lane early, which the post-match commentary said disrupted BLG’s entire rhythm. He finished with a modest 3-5-8 scoreline. Fans on the team’s discussion boards were blunt: “How bad does the bottom lane have to be to get killed in lane?” Another asked whether the jungler, bottom lane and support were “even human.” One commenter worried the team would repeat last year’s early exit.
The criticism was not confined to fans. Agent Han Yi wrote that with twenty seconds left on the Elder Dragon buff, the team should have contested it rather than waiting. Commentator Shuo Shuo called the loss a third straight defeat to what he described as a “soft” European side. Media figure Wang Weichen, posting late at night, said the bottom lane’s play was baffling and noted that LPL teams had now lost three games in a row at S16. Even former world champion Doinb joked that he was “cursed” — whoever he watched, lost.
The same day brought better news for another Chinese team, TES, though only in the context of a defeat. TES lost to HLE, the Korean side, in the first round of the Swiss stage. HLE’s top laner Zeus said in a post-match interview that he had been looking forward to facing TES’s 369 again and found the matchup fun. HLE mid laner Zeka said the game was one-sided and that he felt confident on AP champions. The win extended HLE’s perfect record against TES to six meetings across 2025 and 2026, and HLE’s Gumayusi also stretched a personal winning streak against TES and its star JackeyLove to seven games. TES’s official account responded with a short, poetic vow to regroup.
The contrast captures the mood around Chinese League of Legends right now. China’s LPL has long been one of the sport’s two dominant regions alongside Korea’s LCK, and its teams are among the most heavily followed in the world. A loss to a third-seeded European team at the group stage stings precisely because expectations are so high.
The Swiss stage format gives teams multiple chances to advance, so BLG’s tournament is not over. But the reaction shows how quickly patience erodes. With Chinese teams now carrying three losses, the next round becomes a test of nerve as much as skill — and for BLG’s bottom lane in particular, a chance to answer the criticism directly.