Bilibili Gaming Claim Their First International LoL Title at First Stand 2026

Bilibili Gaming Claim Their First International LoL Title at First Stand 2026

Bilibili Gaming have done it. After years of falling agonizingly short on the international stage, BLG finally lifted their first-ever international trophy at the First Stand 2026, defeating G2 Esports 3-1 in the Grand Finals held in São Paulo, Brazil, on March 22. China is officially back on top of the world.

G2 Walked In Carrying a Miracle

To fully appreciate what happened in the Grand Finals, you have to look at what G2 pulled off just 24 hours earlier.

The European side stunned everyone by sweeping Gen.G 3-0 in the semifinals, erasing a deep head-to-head deficit against the Korean powerhouse in one of the most shocking results League of Legends has seen in recent history. Europe was buzzing. BLG, though, wasn't moved.

One Game of Hope, Then a Wall

The series opened with G2 doing exactly what everyone hoped they could. Game 1 was a tense, back-and-forth battle that stretched past the 35-minute mark, and Caps delivered a stellar performance on Aurora that handed Bin's Gnar its very first loss of 2026, previously sitting at 8-0 on the champion. For a moment, it genuinely felt like the European dream could keep going.

BLG had other plans. From Game 2 onward, Xun took the series completely into his own hands. His Pantheon posted a monstrous 9/1/10 scoreline and made G2's jungle look two steps behind at every turn. Game 3 was an even louder statement: three winning lanes simultaneously, zero realistic win conditions for the Europeans, and a stomp finished at 17-to-5 in kills. G2 ran straight into a brick wall.

Game 4 briefly looked like a lifeline. G2 came out swinging with early aggression and seemed ready to force a decisive fifth game. Then BLG stole the Baron, flipped the entire momentum in one play, and closed the series out through the bot lane in under 30 minutes. Just like that, it was over.

The Trophy That Changes Everything

This title carries real weight for BLG. They had already reached three international finals and walked away with nothing, losing to T1 at Worlds 2023, Gen.G at MSI 2024 and JDG at MSI 2023.

Those runner-up finishes hurt. Now, with Viper becoming the first player to win back-to-back First Stand titles and Knight securing his second international trophy, BLG has turned that heartbreak into something lasting.

The LPL's international title drought since MSI 2023 is officially done. With MSI 2026 on the horizon, the message BLG just sent to the rest of the world could not be louder.


Don't forget to follow Strafe Esports for the latest news on your favorite esports titles, and check out our X profile for the most recent content and coverage.

Also, stay tuned to the Strafe YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and much more.

Featured Image Credits: LoL Esports (@lolesports) 

Read More:

BlizzCon 2026 Is Going All-In and the Classic Cup Is Leading the Charge

VALORANT Night Market Returns March 26: Complete List of Skins

MSI and Worlds 2026 Locations and Dates Confirmed! CBLOL Gets Extra Slots at Worlds

Latest news

Dplus KIA Dominate Karmine Corp in Paris to Win the Esports World Cup 2026

Dplus KIA Dominate Karmine Corp in Paris to Win the Esports World Cup 2026

It's been a long time coming, but Heo "ShowMaker" Su and Dplus KIA have finally risen to the top of the League of Legends esports scene once more. The Korean side ran right through Karmine Corp in the Grand Finals of the Esports World Cup 2026, sweeping the Frenchmen in front of their home crowd in Paris.
11h
Martin Arévalo-Östberg

Karmine Corp Eliminate T1 to Make the Grand Finals at the Esports World Cup 2026

Karmine Corp just blew all predictions out of the water at the League of Legends Esports World Cup 2026. The French squad took down T1 in the Semifinals against all odds, booking their spot in the Grand Finals in front of their home crowd in Paris.
18 Jul
Martin Arévalo-Östberg

Dplus KIA to be Sold Amid Financial Turbulence

Dplus KIA have announced the organization is in the middle of a sale process as the club has "reached a point where it needs even greater capability and support to grow to the next level." Growing operational costs in esports and recent reports surfacing regarding unpaid wages at Dplus all seem to indicate that the move will be in the best interest of everyone involved, including players and fans of the organization.
16 Jul
Martin Arévalo-Östberg

LØS Sends LYON Packing From EWC 2026

The Esports World Cup 2026 League of Legends group stage just delivered a rough gut punch for LYON. The LCS side, fresh off one of the best runs of its history, was swept 2-0 by MIBR.LOS in Group D, ending its run at the Esports World Cup 2026 before it even had a chance to build momentum.
15 Jul
Thales Costa

Team Vitality CEO Neo: "For Us to be a Global Leader Means Being a Contender at EWC"

Team Vitality remains one of the most influential and well-known esports organizations to date. The Paris-based org fields over 20 esports teams in various esports, though their immensely impressive results in Counter-Strike take center stage.  Being one of the organizations present at Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, we managed to speak with Fabien "Neo" Devide, Co-Founder and CEO of the Hive, just after an interview with Mike McCabe, COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, at the opening press conference at EWC. Neo provided a ton of insight into the organization's participation at this year's edition of EWC in Paris. He expressed his desire for the org to perform to the highest standards, but also highlighted that rivalry is key to grow the ecosystem. Additionally, Neo gave strong opinions on the growth of mobile esports following last year's Vitality's takeover and merger with Indonesian side Bigetron, stressing the need for innovation and following ideas in the east, as much as the west.
15 Jul
Naim "EnKay" Rosinski

Mages in the Bot Lane at MSI 2026: Threat or Hype?

Mages showing up in place of traditional AD carry champions in the Bot Lane is not necessarily a new phenomenon, but the fact that so many of them were picked at MSI 2026 has been turning a lot of heads recently. Are mage champions in the Bot Lane really a problem, though? Let's dive a little deeper to find out more.
15 Jul
Martin Arévalo-Östberg

Mike McCabe COO of EWC Foundation: "The Home Is Always Going to Be Riyadh"

The Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC) had its grand launch on July 8, commemorating the official start of the event with an opening press conference at the Hotel de Ville in the heart of Paris. With many speakers kicking off the event, like the CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, Ralf Reichert, Emmanuel Grégoire, the mayor of Paris, and others, taking center stage.  Following an opening ceremony with multiple speakers, media were given the opportunity to chat with representatives of the Esports World Cup Foundation, game publishers, or even reps of prolific esports organizations such as Team Vitality. We managed to speak with Mike McCabe, the COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.
14 Jul
Naim "EnKay" Rosinski

Comments (0)

Log in to comment on this match