G2 Esports has pulled off a ginormous upset at the League of Legends First Stand international event. G2 beat BNK FEARX 3-0 in the event, with two very strong games in Games 1 and 3 and a very impressive comeback in Game 2 to bag the series.

The result moves G2 to the semi-finals, where they will face off against the winner of Group B, Gen.G. It’s the first time that G2 – and EU as a whole – has beaten an LCK team 3-0 since the 2020 worlds, where they beat a floundering Gen.G 3-0 in the quarters. That’s nearly six years ago.

The stat was pointed out on the broadcast, which is truly crazy to hear.

What’s so shocking about G2 beating BNK FEARX at First Stand?

EU has been on a bit of a downturn in recent years. The region has weakened, and G2, while often decent for a Western team, has struggled with seeding and the odd day not going their way in recent years, failing to progress past the Swiss at Worlds.

Coming into this year, EU looked weak again, with G2 almost not making the playoffs in the LEC, before going on a rampage and taking the finals 3-2 against KC.

The narrative continues into First Stand, where G2 got tested a bit by Team Secret Whales, despite winning 3-0. The team then got absolutely destroyed by BLG 3-0, giving EU fans cause for concern going into the BNK FEARX series for a slot in the semi-finals. The cost of losing the series is great, with the loser going home.

The general impression among many is that the West just isn’t good right now. As you can see from recent high-profile commentators in the scene. 

G2 coming out strong at an event where there are only four slots after the groups conclude, and there’s the first and second seeds from both China’s LPL and South Korea’s LCK, the two consistently strongest regions for several years, the odds are very much in favor of a Western team not making it to the semi-finals.

THREE. ZERO.@G2League take down @BNKFEARXLoL! #FST2026 pic.twitter.com/bmro3J6Np3

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) March 20, 2026

G2 grabbing an unexpected 3-0 against BNK FEARX means that G2 has impressed many, given the context of its last 3-0 against an LCK team, a Western team as a whole, and given the relative weight of how First Stand is expected to go.

Where do we go from here?

It’s unlikely that G2 will beat Gen.G, given the Korean side’s average game length so far this tournament being 25:40. That’s an incredibly fast playtime across the six games they’ve played so far, given LoL’s standards for 30-40 minutes. 

Gen.G also dropped only two maps all year in the LCK. So, it’s safe to say Gen.G is a juggernaut. 

If G2 can look as competent as they did against BNK FEARX,  or at least give Gen.G a game close to 30 minutes, then that’s a relatively successful event. G2 can learn a lot from the very best under those circumstances and really show what they are capable of. Hell, if the team somehow manages to make it close, or even take a game, then it’s a fantastic tournament relative to results.

EU hope has returned, and it comes from an unexpected place.