BLG beats G2 3-1 in São Paulo to win First Stand 2026

Bilibili Gaming defeated G2 Esports 3-1 in São Paulo to claim the First Stand 2026 title. The grand final drew more than 1.5 million concurrent viewers, nearly 400,000 higher than 2025, an increase of about 35% year over year.

The best-of-five series opened with G2 winning Game 1 before BLG took three straight to close out the match. BLG top laner Chen “Bin” Zebin earned Finals MVP for his performances through the knockout rounds and the final. Park “Viper” Do-hyeon became the first player to win First Stand twice, adding 2026 after lifting the 2025 trophy with Hanwha Life Esports.

The grand final slightly outdrew the lower bracket final, where more than 1.46 million viewers watched G2 eliminate Gen.G. English-language viewing was strong during the championship series, with British co-streamer Marc “Caedrel” Lamont reaching a peak above 243,000 on his broadcast.

Format changes and the host city shaped this year’s numbers. In 2026, the group stage expanded to best-of-five series, increasing total broadcast hours. Hosting in São Paulo coincided with higher Portuguese-language viewing, and LOUD’s participation drew large local audiences during its matches.

Audience gains extended beyond Brazil. Vietnamese- and English-speaking viewership rose compared with 2025, especially late in the playoffs. Korean-language viewing trailed last year, affected by the absence of T1; Gen.G and BNK FearX did not match the audience levels Hanwha Life Esports reached in 2025.

For Europe, the series marked a return to the largest stages. G2 reached its first international final in more than 2,300 days, last appearing in a title match at Worlds 2019. The EMEA region’s most recent international trophy came in 2019, when G2 won the Mid-Season Invitational. Karmine Corp ended the region’s finals drought by reaching the First Stand 2025 title series.

First Stand is in its second year and expanded its format in 2026 with São Paulo as host. The 2026 final delivered the event’s highest peak audience to date across language streams.