The LEC's second seed faced a tough challenge against one of the favourites at Worlds 2026, but still pulled through.
The opening day of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship Swiss Stage featured several matchups where the favourites seemed clear. However, upsets were always bound to happen, and the LEC's second seed, 
Movistar KOI(MKOI), delivered one of the day's biggest surprises by taking down LPL powerhouse 
Bilibili Gaming (BLG).
MKOI came into the tournament with plenty to prove after a relatively underwhelming season. The European squad missed out on both First Stand and the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), while their Esports World Cup 2026 campaign also ended without a deep run. They eventually found their footing towards the end of the domestic season, defeating Karmine Corp to reach the LEC Season Finals grand final.
However, taking on BLG was an entirely different challenge.
The Chinese powerhouse had enjoyed a far more successful year, winning First Stand and coming close to sweeping the domestic titles before falling to 
Anyone's Legend in the LPL Split 3 grand final. Although BLG's international performances had been less consistent, they had already established themselves as one of the favourites heading into Worlds 2026.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, MKOI proved that they were more than capable of standing toe-to-toe with the LPL giants.
How did Movistar KOI defeat Bilibili Gaming at Worlds 2026?
MKOI came out swinging against BLG, taking control of the early game and building a lead through objectives across the map. The European squad secured the first two turrets, claimed the first three drakes, and established a kill advantage, putting BLG on the back foot.
However, BLG were not about to go down without a fight. Despite MKOI's early momentum, the Chinese squad continued to look for opportunities to turn the game around, keeping the gold difference within reach and refusing to let their opponents run away with the lead.
As the game progressed, the contest became increasingly tense. MKOI continued to maintain pressure across the map, securing two Barons to strengthen their push towards BLG's base. However, BLG refused to back down, claiming an Elder Dragon of their own to keep themselves in contention despite MKOI's advantage.
MKOI nevertheless continued to apply pressure, eventually breaking into BLG's base and threatening to close out the game. Just when it looked like the European squad might finally secure the win, BLG found a crucial shutdown onto MKOI's bot laner 
David Martinez “Supa” Garcia, forcing the LEC representatives to retreat and delaying what could have been the final push.
With another Elder Dragon about to spawn, MKOI knew that they could not afford to make a mistake. Rather than forcing another risky engagement, they played patiently, maintaining their positioning and preventing BLG from finding an easy opening.
Their patience eventually paid off. When the opportunity presented itself, MKOI committed to the fight, with Supa and mid laner 
Joseph “jojopyun” Pyun leading the charge. The European squad took down all five BLG players in a clean ace, leaving their opponents with no way to contest the Elder Dragon.
With the powerful buff secured and BLG's entire roster wiped out, MKOI marched straight into the Chinese squad's base to finish the job. After 38 minutes of intense back-and-forth action, MKOI emerged victorious with an 18-14 kill lead, securing a massive upset over one of the tournament favourites.
The victory marks MKOI's first successful Swiss Stage opening match in their Worlds history, putting the European squad one step closer to the Knockout Stage. Interestingly, it was BLG who defeated MAD Lions KOI in their opening Swiss Stage match at Worlds 2024, making this victory all the more significant.
MKOI now have a 1-0 record and need just two more match wins to advance to the Knockout Stage. Meanwhile, BLG find themselves at 0-1, leaving the LPL representatives with less room for error as they continue their Worlds campaign. With three losses enough to send any team home, the Chinese powerhouse will need to bounce back in the upcoming rounds to keep their championship hopes alive.
