Hanwha Life Esports To Miss First Stand; Eliminated from LCK Cup 2026

Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) have been eliminated from the LCK Cup 2026 following their loss to Gen.G this morning. This elimination also means that the reigning champions from last year’s First Stand will not be in attendance this year to defend their title.

A Statement Performance from Gen.G - Domestic Dominance

In many ways, the three teams at the top last year for LCK was deemed Gen.G followed by T1 and HLE. Which makes this performance at the LCK Cup all the more disappointing for fans of HLE.

While victory for Gen.G was certainly expected by many, the scoreline 3-0 was a statement performance from the organization who continues to hold the league in a chokehold.

Across three games of play, HLE was only in pole position a single time in the series, on Game 2, leading with a 4k gold lead. However, heroics from Kim “Kiin” Gi-in and Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu prevented the end in the pivotal teamfight, narrowing the lead in the process.

In the follow-up fight, a key pick on Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong resulted in an almost immediate wipe of the HLE side, propelling Gen.G 2-0 up in the series. While there are certainly promising aspects to HLE’s performance at this LCK Cup, their early losses made this series against the defending champions a match that proved too pressuring to deliver.

Not the Ideal Start to the Year

A year that initially looked incredibly promising turned disappointing for HLE in 2025. After winning First Stand, all eyes were turned to them on the international stage. The signing of two-time Worlds champions Choi “Zeus” Woo-je looked to be bearing early fruit. However, a narrow miss on qualifying for MSI after a surprise loss to T1 in a decider series immediately put an end to any idea of repeat success internationally.

HLE would go on to qualify for Worlds 2025, making it as far as the quarterfinals, however, were eliminated by domestic rivals Gen.G, who in turn were eliminated by surprise dark horse KT Rolster.

Coming into 2026, HLE bid farewell to longtime AD Carry player Park “Viper” Do-hyeon. In his stead, for the second time in two years, HLE brought on a former T1 player – 3-time Worlds champion Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong.

Despite the stacked nature of the roster on paper, the roster was off to a poor start after a loss to T1 to start their season was followed by another at the hands of Nongshim RedForce. HLE did recover in Week 2 with wins against BRION and DN SOOPers, albeit not without some struggle.

Unfortunately, their next match against Gen.G proved to be their final one of the tournament as with the loss, HLE’s group was only afforded 4 slots for advancement, and HLE were eliminated as the poorest performer.

HLE First Stand 2025

The First Teams for Playoff Are Revealed!

With the conclusion of this series, Gen.G, T1, and BFX are locked for Playoffs. Gen.G and T1 notably made it through their group with a flawless 5-0 record, setting the stage for another year of fierce rivalry between the two organizations.

Featured Image Credit: LCK

LoL Patch 26.03 Preview: Ranked Changes, AD Jungle Buff, Mel Nerf