Gen.G defeats Hanwha Life Esports to reach Worlds 2025 semifinals

Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports opened the 2025 League of Legends Worlds quarterfinals with a back-and-forth spectacle, resulting in the former walking away as victors.

In what was also a rematch of this year’s LCK finals, Gen.G entered the match as the favourites. The organisation had already defeated Hanwha Life twice in a best-of-five series earlier in the season, reinforcing Gen.G’s dominance over its domestic rivals.

The Worlds 2025 quarterfinals match-up produced a series of high-intensity games lauded by many fans as the best series at the tournament so far. Even if the score ended up as 3-1 in favour of Gen.G, the games proved to be a challenge for the LCK powerhouse.

The victory sends Gen.G into the semifinals for the third consecutive year, cementing its reputation as one of the scene’s most consistent teams and the favourite to win Worlds 2025. For Hanwha Life Esports, the loss ends another strong run for the Korean team. Moreover, the loss also sees the end of Han ‘Peanut’ Wang-ho as he retires from League of Legends esports.

The quarterfinal was a clash of patience, precision, and pressure. Both teams came prepared with bold drafts and sharp reads, but Gen.G’s control over key moments made the difference when it mattered most

First, Hanwha Life Esports surprised everyone with its support Yoo ‘Delight’ Hwan-joong picking Pantheon — the first time the champion had appeared at Worlds since 2020. Hanwha Life Esports struck first with a clever top-side gank that gave Choi ‘Zeus’ Woo-je the first blood. Two minutes later, Kim ‘Zeka‘ Geon-woo moved top lane to help secure a second kill. Yet even with early pressure, Gen.G didn’t let Hanwha Life Esports gain a significant advantage.

While Hanwha Life Esports took the first dragon, Jeong ‘Chovy‘ Ji-hoon and Kim ‘Canyon‘ Geon-bu built small leads for Gen.G. But after a series of objective contests, Gen.G began to pull ahead.

A perfectly timed engage by Joo ‘Duro’ Min-kyu’s Neeko caught Hanwha Life Esports off guard, giving Park ‘Ruler‘ Jae-hyuk and Kim ‘Kiin‘ Gi-in room to dominate the fight. While Hanwha Life Esports fought back. Duro landed yet another massive ultimate near Baron. That decisive fight gave Gen.G control of the game and the opening win of the series.

The second game turned into a marathon and ended as the second-longest League of Legends esports game of the entire year. Gen.G struck first when Kiin’s Gwen secured a solo kill in a 1v1 fight against Zeus. The two teams then exchanged early kills and dragons, with neither side managing to build a clear lead. But as the match went on, momentum swung wildly.

Hanwha Life Esports punished Gen.G’s mid-game mistakes, with Zeka’s Azir and Park ‘Viper’ Do-hyeon’s Ziggs creating constant pressure. But, yet again, Gen.G didnàt falter. While Hanwha Life Esports continued to contest every major objective, Duro’s hooks and Chovy’s shockwaves repeatedly found their mark. After nearly an hour of play, Gen.G closed out the gruelling game to go up 2–0 in the series.

In game three, Hanwha Life Esports refused to go down quietly. The team struck first with an early kill from Viper, who quickly snowballed his lead on Sivir.

In short, Hanwha Life Esports outplayed Gen.G in both macro and team fights. Canyon’s mistimed Skarner ultimate opened the door for Hanwha Life Esports to take control, and Zeka’s Yone and Viper’s Sivir proved unstoppable as the side dismantled Gen.G across the map. By the 25-minute mark, Viper was 5/0/4, and Hanwha Life Esports turned that lead into a dominant victory, keeping hopes alive.

For what then was the last game of the series, Canyon locked in Nidalee and Zeus chose Camille as both teams entered the game. The pace was slower than in previous games, even if Gen.G seemed to be slightly in the lead.

The first big fight happened at the Herald’s door as Hanwha Life Esports stole the objective but were almost aced by Gen.G, further widening the latter’s lead. Gen.G then secured three dragons, reaching soul point, and a fight near the Atakhan spawn allowed the team to ace Hanwha Life Esports and take full control of the midgame.

With a solid lead, Gen.G eventually pushed into Hanwha Life Esports’ base, and, though Hanwha Life Esports defended it well, one last fight — in which Duro sniped Zeka with a Redemption — secured a semifinals place to the LCK’s first seed.

Gen.G now moves on to the semifinals, where it will face either KT Rolster or CTBC Flying Oyster (October 29th). However, after a confident 3–1 victory, Gen.G made it clear the roster is ready for whichever opponent stands in its way.