Gen.G will be looking to make their first Worlds grand finals appearance as they will next face Invictus Gaming in the semifinals.
The second day of the League of Legends World Championship 2026 Knockout Stage on Thursday (5 November) saw LCK top seed 
Gen.G become the tournament's second semifinalist after they soundly swept the LCS' 
LYON, 3-0, in their best-of-five quarterfinals matchup.
With their victory, Gen.G have guaranteed themselves at least a 3rd-4th place finish and US$400,000 in winnings. After finishing 3rd-4th in four of their last five appearances at Worlds, Gen.G will be looking to finally score a long-overdue victory in the semifinals and advance to the world championship's grand finals for the first time. Standing in Gen.G's way will be 
Shanghai Invictus Gaming (IG), who defeated 
Top Esports in the opening matchup of the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, LYON exit Worlds 2026 with a 5th-8th place finish and US$300,000 in consolation. While they fall well short of the title, this marks by far the best result for the organisation in Worlds, having never finished above 17th place in four past appearances.
Gen.G and LYON's journey to the Worlds 2026 Knockout Stage
Gen.G entered Worlds 2026 as the LCK's first seed, leading the charge for the LCK as the region embarks on a campaign to claim the Summoner's Cup for the fifth straight year. The same could not be said for LCS second seed LYON, however, with many expecting the underdog squad flaming out in the Swiss Stage.
Both Gen.G and LYON won their opening matches in Round 1 of the Swiss Stage, with Gen.G taking down IG and LYON defeating 
Team Secret Whales. Both squads then continued rolling in Round 2, as Gen.G emerged victorious over fellow LCK team 
Hanwha Life Esports while LYON won against the LEC's 
Karmine Corp.
That then set up Gen.G and LYON's first encounter of the tournament in Round 3, with a 3-0 finish in the Swiss Stage and a spot in the Knockout Stage at stake. While Gen.G were the overwhelming favourites in this matchup, LYON gave a good account of themselves by taking the first game of the series. However, the South Korean squad were able to rally and pull off a 2-1 reverse sweep to be among the first two teams to advance to the Knockout Stage alongside 
Dplus KIA.
Despite losing in Round 3, LYON still had two opportunities to advance to the main event. However, the LCS second seed lost to IG in three games in Round 4, forcing them to a do-or-die showdown against the CBLOL's 
LOS in Round 5. LYON didn't waste this final chance to advance, however, as they survived a game one loss to pull off a 2-1 reverse sweep over LOS and secure the organisation's first-ever Knockout Stage appearance at Worlds.
