Image credit: LoL Esports Flickr
UK-based org Fnatic have beaten EU behemoth G2 Esports in a thrilling five-game series to secure the team’s place at League of Legends Worlds.
Fnatic have qualified for the World Championships every year since 2016. This is the first time in G2’s history that they won’t appear at Worlds (since they began in European LoL in 2016).
G2 took game one with excellent team fighting and good execution after what started as a close match. Fnatic then levelled the series at 1-1 before G2 responded and took game three, despite Fnatic’s dominance through most of the game. Fnatic then won games four and five, to the delight of Fnatic fans across Europe.
G2 has been one of the world’s best teams for several years, reaching two Worlds semi-finals and one final in the last three years. At the beginning of the season, Fnatic legend Rekkles moved to G2 to replace Perkz as the team’s ADC.
G2’s star mid-laner Caps also left Fnatic to join G2 back in 2018.
Fnatic founder and CEO Sam Mathews was buzzing with the win, and also spoke to G2 founder Ocelote on Twitter:
Fnatic — an org headquartered in London — were forced to make a losers-bracket run to Worlds qualification after placing fifth in the LEC Summer 2021 season standings.
They made an impressive run in the lower bracket and will now face Rogue in the lower-bracket semi-finals, after Rogue fell 3-0 to Mad Lions.
Fnatic join Rogue and Mad as European teams that will play at Worlds 2021. The event was due to take place in China, but reports suggest it will now take place in Europe.
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