(Photo credit: The Story Mob)

G2 Esports and AG.AL won their quarterfinal matches Thursday as the playoffs got underway at the Esports World Cup League of Legends event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

G2 rallied for a 2-1 win against Bilibili Gaming, who opened with a 37-minute win on red. G2 answered with a 32-minute win on blue and a 28-minute victory on red.

AG.AL also won 2-1, sandwiching 26- and 30-minute wins on blue around Hanwha Life Esports' 38-minute victory on blue.

Twelve teams are competing for shares of a $2 million prize pool at the Esports World Cup 2025. The tournament is also part of the Club Championship that will award $7 million to the winning team at the end of the Cup.

The action began Thursday with FlyQuest and KOI winning the lower-bracket finals in Groups A and B, respectively, to reach the playoff stage. FlyQuest defeated FURIA in 30 minutes on blue, while KOI took down CTBC Flying Oyster in 37 minutes on blue.

FlyQuest will meet Gen.G Esports and KOI will take on T1 in Friday's quarterfinals.

The Flyquest-Gen.G winner will move on to face G2 in the semifinals, where the KOI-T1 winner will play AG.AL.

Esports World Cup 2025 League of Legends prize pool (money, EWC club points):

1. $600,000, 1,000 club points

2. $320,000, 750 points

3. $230,000, 500 points

4. $160,000, 300 points

5-8. Bilibili Gaming, Hanwha Life Sports, TBD, TBD -- $110,000, 200 points

9-10. FURIA, CTBC Flying Oyster -- $75,000, no points

11-12. Cloud9, GAM Esports -- $50,000, no points

--Field Level Media