Very few people would have expected a sweep by the Swiss stage underdogs.
Few people probably expected it to be this one-sided. Bilibili Gaming swept Dplus KIA 3-0 in the Worlds 2026 quarterfinals and have now reached the semifinals in three of their four Worlds appearances. The most surprising part: DK entered the series undefeated after a perfect Swiss Stage and had not dropped a single game at the tournament. Against BLG, almost none of that dominance remained.
BLG Completely Take Over After an Even Start
Game 1 initially looked exactly like you would expect from two of the strongest teams at the tournament. There was action across every lane, with Jeon “Siwoo” Si-woo finding a solo kill on Rumble while Zhuo “Knight” Ding answered individually on Galio. Choi “Lucid” Yong-hyeok’s Qiyana and Peng “Xun” Li-Xun’s Naafiri also traded early plays around the map.
The turning point came around Rift Herald. BLG clearly won the fight, Xun gained more and more resources, and DK gradually lost control of the map. From there, Bilibili Gaming were significantly cleaner around objectives.
BLG secured every Drake, followed by Elder Dragon and Baron, before eventually closing the opening game. It already established the pattern that would follow DK throughout the series: the Korean team could compete in individual skirmishes, but BLG were almost always better prepared around the major objectives.
Game 2 became even more one-sided. Park “Viper” Do-hyeon’s Ezreal developed into the main carry and even delivered an impressive 1v3 outplay against Shin “Smash” Geum-jae’s Yunara. Knight’s Orianna and Luo “ON” Wen-Jun’s Leona controlled the fights, while DK struggled to ever reach BLG’s backline.
Around the 30-minute mark, BLG secured another Elder Dragon and comfortably converted the advantage into a 2-0 series lead.
Even an Ace Is Not Enough for DK in Game 3
The third game could hardly have started worse for Dplus KIA. Heo “ShowMaker” Su was caught on Viktor before the laning phase even began, Xun’s Trundle disrupted Lucid’s jungle pathing, and Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin found back-to-back solo kills on Jax.
For a brief moment, DK still looked capable of reopening the series. Around Rift Herald, they found a full ace against BLG and finally created an opportunity to get back into the game. But even that fight did not change the overall dynamic.
BLG immediately stabilized, regained control of the objectives and increasingly forced DK into poor positions. Lucid at least managed to steal a Drake on Pantheon – remarkably, it would be the only Drake DK secured in the entire series. BLG then claimed Mountain Soul and Baron before marching into the base and completing the sweep.BLG then claimed Mountain Soul and Baron before marching into the base and completing the sweep.
The numbers show just how dominant the series really was. Of the 15 contested Drakes, Bilibili Gaming took 14, including two Elder Dragons. BLG also secured all four Barons and outscored DK 62-28 in kills. ON was named series MVP after recording 43 assists across the three games.
From a 3-2 Swiss Run to Genuine Title Contenders
The contrast with the Swiss Stage is what makes the result so surprising.
DK had beaten G2 Esports, T1 and Movistar KOI without dropping a single game, advancing to the quarterfinals with a perfect 3-0 record. Bilibili Gaming, meanwhile, opened Worlds with a loss to MKOI, eventually fell into the 2-2 pool and had to defeat Hanwha Life Esports simply to reach the Knockout Stage.
None of that mattered once the series began. BLG were better prepared in teamfights, controlled almost every major objective and repeatedly found stronger engage angles through Xun, Knight and ON. Viper also provided exactly the kind of stability in bot lane that this roster needs in longer series.
For Viper, the win carries additional meaning. He has reached the Worlds semifinals for the first time since winning the tournament with EDward Gaming in 2021. He was eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
BLG themselves remain one of the most consistent Worlds playoff teams of recent years. They reached the semifinals in 2023, finished as runners-up in 2024, suffered a surprising Swiss Stage exit in 2025 – and are now back among the final four.
BLG Remain Perfect in Worlds Quarterfinals Against the LCK
Historically, the victory also continues an interesting pattern. Bilibili Gaming have now won all three Worlds quarterfinals in the organization’s history – and every single one came against an LCK team. BLG beat Gen.G 3-2 in 2023, Hanwha Life Esports 3-1 in 2024 and have now swept Dplus KIA 3-0.
In sporting terms, it also serves as revenge for the Esports World Cup quarterfinal earlier this year, when DK eliminated BLG 2-1.
Bilibili Gaming will now face the winner of Karmine Corp against T1 in the semifinals on November 8, with a place in the Worlds 2026 Grand Final on the line.
After the Swiss Stage, BLG may not have looked like an obvious tournament favorite. After sweeping an undefeated DK 3-0, that suddenly looks very different