'Canyon' dominated the Rift. Delivering a destructive performance right from Game 1, he led Gen.G to victory and seized early momentum.
In Match 1 of the semifinals of the '2026 LoL World Championship (Worlds)', held on the 8th (KST) at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, USA, Gen.G Esports drew first blood by taking Game 1 against IG.
The first battleground was the top lane. As heavy damage trades were exchanged between Kang "TheShy" Seung-lok's Kled and Kim "Kiin" Gi-in's Olaf, both junglers naturally gravitated toward top. IG, holding the HP advantage, attempted a tower dive, but Gen.G countered effectively to secure a 2-for-1 kill trade. Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu's Qiyana also executed a successful mid gank, quickly jumping to 3/0/0.
Having broken the balance, Gen.G was relentless. They ambushed IG while they were attacking the Voidgrubs to force a fight, and after a fierce chase, swept up 4 kills while trading away only Joo "Duro" Min-gyu's Leona. Fantastic individual aggro juggling shone through. IG tried to shut down the fed Qiyana, but ended up losing only 'Wei''s Vi, who had engaged with Flash and ultimate.
Although Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon's Cassiopeia was picked off in a side lane, Gen.G answered immediately by taking down Kled on the opposite side of the map. Cornered, IG moved even more aggressively. They poured everything into targeting Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk's Flashless Jhin standing under the tier-2 mid tower. However, Gen.G's main force was close enough to respond, securing 3 kills after a chase.
From then on, Gen.G continued to win fight after fight. Before long, the Hextech Soul fell into Gen.G's hands, and the global gold lead neared 10,000. Pressuring with the Baron buff, Gen.G eliminated Song "Rookie" Eui-jin's Syndra through a surprise engage by Qiyana, then pushed in with their numerical advantage to end the game.
