iG Beat HLE at Worlds 2026: JiaQi on Nerves and iG’s Ambitions

I’ve seen you deliver this kind of performance in the LPL, but this is your first international event, right? Was it important for you to get rid of the nerves and deliver a statement performance like this one?

The reason I can perform like I did today is maybe my personality. I’m that kind of person: no matter what happens or what stage I’m standing on, I just want to concentrate on my in-game plays and on the game itself.

So you would say there were no nerves coming into your first Worlds?

Maybe I get a little nervous here and there off stage, but once I step on stage, the nerves are completely gone.

We’ve seen the Yunara-Luluinto Renata-Kallista matchup several times now at Worlds. Do you think one side has the advantage over the other?

There are two elements. The first one is the players’ mechanics, and the second one depends on what kind of draft you want to pick for the whole team.

We saw iG deliver a strong performance against Gen.G even though you didn’t win, and now you’ve beaten HLE. Do you see yourselves as real contenders at these Worlds, a real threat to any team in this tournament?

Definitely. We want to make iGa team that everyone has to be wary of. To reach that, we need to give our best in every single game and go step by step.

Is there a team you really want to face at these Worlds?

To be honest, the player I most wanted to face, I just played a Bo1 against him: Gumayusi.