Either G2 Esports or Fnatic will miss Worlds, a 1st since 2016
Sunday will be a big day for European League of Legends as G2 Esports clashes with Fnatic for the last spot in the 2021 World Championship and survival in the 2021 LEC Summer Split Playoffs.
After an extremely competitive season in the LEC, the last Worlds 2021 seed comes down to the rivalry between G2 and Fnatic. The two teams have been the kings of Europe in each of their own eras, but now the young powers of Rogue and MAD Lions have taken over and already secured a spot at the final event of the season.
The last spot will be given to the winner of G2 Esports vs. Fnatic, meaning that the two European giants won’t both be at the world championship for the first time since 2016. Worlds 2016 saw Fnatic miss out on a spot after losing in the regional finals.
After Fnatic took down Misfits Gaming in a five-game thriller yesterday, it’s clear that fans will be getting the best-of-five that they have been waiting for all split. Going back a year, most would have expected this to be the matchup for the LEC final but this time it’s a do-or-die match in the lower bracket.
While both teams have performed well this split, both MAD Lions and Rogue have proven to be stronger. This leaves both LEC giants in a weird spot, where both Worlds and playoffs are suddenly on the line. This is expected to create an electric feeling when the two hit Summoner’s Rift as everything will be on the line.
It will also be a match between former teammates, with both G2 mid laner Rasmus “Caps” Winther and bot laner Martin “Rekkles” Larsson getting to face off against their old team Fnatic. Fnatic’s jungler Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau and support Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov both got to play with the two G2 stars on Fnatic, so there will be plenty of storylines to keep an eye on.
This match will also be a chance for Fnatic’s newer members to prove themselves. Top laner Adam “Adam” Maanane is in his rookie season in the LEC, so there will be a ton of eyes on the young top laner to see if he can withstand the pressure. It will also be Fnatic bot laner Elias “Upset” Lipp’s chance to finally prove that he can take down Rekkles, as he has often been compared to the Swedish superstar.
The match between G2 and Fnatic will kick off on Sunday, August 22, but it won’t be the only big series to follow.
LEC Summer Playoffs set to make history
Even though G2 Esports vs. Fnatic is likely the most anticipated match, there will be other incredible rivalries going down Sunday. In North America, two of the biggest organizations in history will play for survival in the 2021 LCS Championship. It’s between none other than Cloud9 and TSM, who will also be fighting for a spot at the 2021 World Championship.
As if these two Western matches weren’t enough, there will be a big match between T1 and Gen.G in the Korean LCK before that. The two teams will be playing the last semifinal in the LCK playoffs, with the winner moving on to face the defending champion DWG KIA in the grand final. This will once again be a big, intense match that no fan of competitive League of Legends should miss out on.