The semifinals of the Eternal Return Mid-Season Cup, part of the 2026 Korea e-Sports League (KEL), were held on the 1st at the Gwangju Esports Arena in Dong-gu, Gwangju. Following six rounds of competition, the top four teams—New Rise Gangwon, Gwangju Slasher, Chungnam CNJ, and Daegu Guardians—advanced to the finals.

The Mid-Season Cup features the top 12 teams by circuit points competing for a ₩4 million grand prize. The top four teams from the regular season qualified directly for the finals held on the 2nd, while teams ranked 5th through 12nd competed in the semifinals, where only the top four earned a spot in the finals.

New Rise Gangwon got off to a strong start in Round 1. In the final three-way battle against Gyeongnam Sparkle and Incheon Wave, New Rise Gangwon eliminated Incheon Wave without losing any members before turning their attention to Gyeongnam Sparkle. They secured a numerical advantage by cleanly taking out the opposing Lenny in the first engagement and went on to win the round, securing 23.5 points.

Gwangju Slashers took the lead early in Round 2, showing their strength by wiping out both Chungnam CNJ and Daegu Guardians. However, they lost a positional battle against Gyeonggi Innate and finished with 17 points. New Rise Gangwon seized the opportunity; having built their strength quietly, they were the only team to maintain a full roster, sweeping kills in the late game to secure their second consecutive win.

Six teams, excluding New Rise Gangwon and Chungnam CNJ, started Round 3 with roster substitutions. Chungnam CNJ racked up a massive amount of kill points, eliminating both Incheon Wave and Gwangju Slashers thanks to Fenrir's performance. Daegu Guardians also reached the Top 2 with multiple kills, while Gyeonggi Innate, focusing on survival rather than aggressive combat, took 1st place and 13 points.

In Round 4, New Rise Gangwon effectively locked in 1st place. Their cumulative score reached 79.5 points, a significant lead over the 2nd-place Incheon Wave at 48 points. The winning team of Round 5 was 8th-place Jeonnam Esports, who secured 20 points by taking down Gwangju Slashers, who had been on a 22-kill spree. Gwangju Slashers added 29 points, solidifying their spot in the finals.

Heading into the final 6th round, the point gap between 3rd and 8th place was only 6.5 points, with only two spots left for the finals. 3rd-place Chungnam CNJ solidified their ranking by consistently racking up kill points. Meanwhile, 4th-place Gyeonggi Innate was the first to be eliminated, and 5th-place Daegu Guardians took their spot by reaching the Top 3. New Rise Gangwon claimed victory in the 6th round.