On the 2nd, the Mid-Season Cup finals for the Eternal Return category of the '2026 Korea Esports League (KEL)' were held at the Gwangju Esports Arena in Dong-gu, Gwangju. Daejeon Auto Arms, having reached the checkpoint by the 5th round, secured victory in the 8th round to claim the Mid-Season Cup title.

GC Busan Stella took an early lead by winning the first two rounds. Seo 'Seo Eun-seol' Jeong-ui's performance on Adriana was particularly notable. In the final engagement of Round 2, her use of skills to force New Rise Gangwon to exhaust their restricted area time played a crucial role in overcoming a growth disadvantage.

Gwangju Slasher came out on top in Round 3. In the final three-way fight, they easily dispatched New Rise Gangwon and then GC Busan Stella, who had fallen right in front of them, to secure a checkmate. Round 4 belonged to Daejeon AutoArms; they wiped out Gyeongbuk Ascender, Gwangju Slasher, and GC Busan Stella to claim the win, vaulting from 7th to 2nd place in the standings.

However, before the start of Round 5, Daejeon AutoArms was penalized three points for failing to submit their roster changes on time. This allowed Gwangju Slasher to move into 2nd place, and the checkpoint status was granted to both GC Busan Stella and Gwangju Slasher.

In Round 5, 1st-place GC Busan Stella was eliminated in 6th after being targeted by multiple teams. Gwangju Slasher attempted to maintain their position by racking up as many kill points as possible, but Daejeon AutoArms and New Rise Gangwon surged into 2nd and 3rd place overall by securing a high number of kills and survival points.

Round 6 began with an additional team reaching the checkpoint. GC Busan Stella was quickly eliminated again after being caught by Chungnam CNJ, and Daejeon AutoArms was wiped out after being attacked by three teams simultaneously. New Rise Gangwon was finished off by Seongnam ROX. Gwangju Slasher's victory pushed the match to a 7th round, with Gwangju Slasher and Chungnam CNJ reaching the checkpoint.

Round 7 took place with more than half the teams having reached the checkpoint, but no winner emerged. Gyeongbuk Ascender (6th), Daegu Guardians (7th), and Seongnam ROX (8th) made it to the top three, eliminating all the checkpoint teams. In the final three-way fight, Seongnam ROX was eliminated first, failing to improve their standing and falling further out of contention for the title.

The 8th round, which would decide the champion, narrowed down to a three-way battle between Gyeongbuk Ascender, Daejeon AutoArms, and New Rise Gangwon. New Rise Gangwon and Gyeongbuk Ascender clashed first; New Rise Gangwon won that engagement but then faced Daejeon AutoArms. Daejeon AutoArms, having secured a superior position, inflicted early casualties and decisively eliminated New Rise Gangwon to clinch the championship.