Cloud9 are the first NA team in Worlds semifinals
Cloud9 is going where no North American team has gone before.
Cloud9 defeated Korea’s Afreeca Freecs in a 3-0 quarterfinal series, sending a North American team to the semifinals of Riot’s World Championship for the first time in the event’s history.
Game one of the quarterfinals started with Cloud9 seizing the upper hand with unrelenting pressure. Afreeca Freecs attempted to slow down the game with a focus on trading objectives around the map, but Cloud9’s aggressiveness proved too much for the Korean first seed. Cloud9 took the game at 27 minutes with a 15-4 kill lead.
Entering game two, Afreeca Freecs looked to take back the momentum and dominated the early game. But despite the 9-2 kill lead at 19 minutes, Cloud9 managed to keep the gold lead to a minimum through the trading of map objectives. Transitioning into the late game, Cloud9 showed superior team fight execution. The American side managed to pick up the Baron buff, chipp away at Afreeca’s towers, and eventually destroy the Nexus.
Afreeca fought back in game three. Both teams took early kills and objectives, but Afreeca managed to pull ahead. In the late game, Afreeca made a call toward the Baron, but Cloud9’s
Eric “Licorice” Ritchie put his team on his back with an epic baron steal on Ornn.
This miracle play brought Cloud9 back into the game, but Licorice wasn’t done yet. In one final fight, Licorice’s Ornn trampled through the ranks of Afreeca and landed a flanking ultimate to effectively close out the game and the series.
Coming back from last place in the regular season, battling through the gauntlet, and pushing through this year’s “group of death,” Cloud9 managed to set a North American milestone and make League of Legends history by knocking out Korea’s first seed and securing an NA position in the top four at Worlds.
Read Also
Esports Betting
Hanwha Life Esports vs BLG: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026 grand final
Hannan Mundia
Hanwha Life Esports and BLG will get to have a rematch in the 2026 MSI grand final, but which team will walk away as the victor? The first match between HLE and BLG didn’t really go well for the LCK team. The stakes are much higher this time, and the looming question is whether things will be any different this time around. Tournament: MSI 2026 Stage: Lower bracket final Game: ...
Esports Betting
NA has a winning head-to-head against EU at MSI for the first time since 2018
Wasif Ahmed
LYON just beat G2 Esports 3-0 at the LoL 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. Right off the high of beating the six-time World champion T1, the LEC representative quickly came back to Earth as NA cut their run short. Now, North America is ahead of Europe in the head-to-head for the first time since 2018. After G2’s victories against Top Esports and T1, the predictions were split. Part of the community rationally ...
Esports Betting
Hanwha Life Esports barely beats LYON 3-2 at LoL MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
In a heartbreaking moment for North America, Hanwha Life Esports beat LYON in a close 3-2 in the MSI 2026 loser’s final. For South Korea, this means a rematch for HLE against Bilibili Gaming in the grand final, and a fourth slot at Worlds 2026. For North America, it’s yet another near-win against the East as they fall short for the third time in two years. The series between HLE ...
League of Legends
Hanwha Life Esports vs LYON: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
The 2026 MSI lower bracket final will see Hanwha Life Esports take on LYON. Here’s our complete betting analysis and betting picks. After T1’s upset loss at the ongoing MSI tournament, G2 Esports was the next team to fall before reaching the lower bracket final. LYON looked extremely good against the LEC team, but does it have what it takes to take down arguably the strongest LCK team currently? Tournament: ...
League of Legends
G2 Esports proves that T1 has an over-reliance problem
Hannan Mundia
The MSI match between G2 Esports and T1 proved that the LCK powerhouse needs to take a good look at its strategy. For years now, the LCK has been a dominant force in the competitive League of Legends space. While the LCP has occasionally come close to the number one spot, that hasn’t been the case for long. In particular, T1 is easily the biggest name in the scene, especially ...
Esports Betting
Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule
Hannan Mundia
The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...
Esports Betting
Team Secret Whales stun Top Esports as LCP finally breaks the East’s Bo5 wall
Wasif Ahmed
In the first massive upset of the tournament, Team Secret Whales beat Top Esports to kick them out of the lower bracket of MSI 2026. This is Asia-Pacific’s first ever Bo5 win against the East since the creation of the leagues in 2013. Now, only Bilibili Gaming is left for the LPL and the power rankings are all mixed up. TSW didn’t just beat TES, they completely outclassed them. Kicking ...
