Hanwha Life Esports faces Dplus KIA in the upper bracket round 2 of the Esports World Cup Qualifier for South Korea. In the LCK, HLE have firmly established themselves in first place. Will DK manage to stand up to them in an online tournament?
Betting tips: While they’ve been standing toe-to-toe for part of the LCK’s regular season, HLE is currently more solid by a long shot.
My Dplus KIA vs Hanwha Life Esports pick: Under 2.5 maps at 1.65 odds at GG.BET.
| Match | Dplus KIA vs Hanwha Life Esports – Esports World Cup 2026 Online Qualifier: Korea |
|---|---|
| Kick-off | May 12, 2026, at 12pm CET / 3am PST |
| Top pick | Hanwha Life Esports to win, under 2.5 games |
| Best price | GG.BET live odds |
| Betting favorite | Hanwha Life Esports |
HLE hasn’t been the shining example of consistency in terms of their gameplay as of late. Nevertheless, the results are there. HLE’s games aren’t always clean, and the team can drop maps to unexpected opponents, but in the end, they dominate the LCK.
Hanwha Life Esports has carries in every role, and after their one loss to T1, they have finally clicked together. Their downfall in the LCK Round 1-2 2025 keeps up the fear that they might come crashing down at some point. So far though, that point hasn’t arrived and HLE are on a 10-match winning streak.
Dplus KIA has had the opposite result. In terms of consistency, they are no better than their opponents. However, this doesn’t amount to wins.
DK started the split strong, even beating Gen.G and T1. As the top five of the LCK were a fully mixed bag, they were contenders for first place and definitely belonged in the top three.
During the last two weeks, though, their form hasn’t held up. While Gen.G and T1 recovered from their weaker start to the split, DK didn’t manage to elevate their level alongside. While their level is still solidly above that of the bottom five, they’re now in fifth place with a clear gap from the top four.
To make matters worse, they have lost their last three matches against HLE, KT Rolster, and T1. DK manages to find leads in their games, but not to close them out from there against the better teams. Moreover, what brilliance they can show in one game doesn’t persist in the rest of a series.
Dplus KIA faces Hanwha Life Esports in the upper bracket round 2 of the EWC Qualifier. Image Source: Riot Games
| Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| Dplus KIA to win | 3.71 |
| Hanwha Life Esports to win | 1.25 |
| Over 2.5 maps | 2.15 |
| Under 2.5 maps | 1.65 |
LoL betting odds via GG.BET, 11pm CET, May 7, 2026
The second to fourth place teams confidently beat DK in the last two weeks of the LCK. With HLE being stronger than them all, they’re the obvious pick for this match-up. From a stylistic standpoint, DK’s struggles to close out games will not fare well against a team that regularly plays erratically before finding ways to clutch out the wins.
Our Dplus KIA vs Hanwha Life Esports prediction: HLE as the match winner 2-0 @1.25 odds at GG.BET.
Featured image source: Riot Games
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