G2 Esports recently announced that its female League of Legends team, G2 Hel, has been disbanded.
It’s been a sad year for women in esports, and it doesn’t seem like 2026 is looking up so far. Despite a pretty dominant year, G2 let go of G2 Hel in late December without really saying why. But the reason is pretty certain: The women’s League of Legends scene doesn’t really make enough money to justify participating.
G2 Hel is the latest casualty in the female esports scene
G2 Hel was formed in 2022 and quickly became one of the most dominant teams in the female League of Legends scene. G2 itself said that the team is leaving behind “three years of dominance.” Most recently, the talented team took second at the League of Legends Game Changers 2025 Rising tournament.
Jungler Marta Mesas “Shiina” Garrido gave her thanks to the organization through a social media post. “Nothing but grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this through the last two and a half years,” tweeted Marta Mesas “Shiina” Garrido. “I will miss every individual I have shared teams with this year. They were amazing and some of the best people I have met out there.”
It’s sad on its own, but even more depressing when you take in the state of female esports in 2025. Over in Counter-Strike, one of the first games to really push for a female tournament scene, ESL Impact was shut down. In the VALORANT scene, Riot completely disregarded its Game Changers teams and implemented a huge patch ahead of the Championships.
Women’s esports has always been a second thought compared to the mainstream scenes. There is fewer viewership, fewer fanfare, fewer opportunities to make money. With fewer sponsors and smaller prize pools, esports organizations often see their female teams as the first assets to cut. Many of these organizations are already in the red, forcing them to take up crypto and betting sponsors.
It’s hard to argue with the decision to cut G2 Hel.
So I’m not really doing that. Instead, I’m just pointing out the cursed situation this points to. I’m concerned for women’s esports as a whole.
Of course, the women in the esports scene are not willing to give up so fast. It took a lot of grit, determination, and backlash to get here.
Said star player Maya “Caltys” Henckel: “It’s the end of an era, but it’s not the end. 2026 will be VERY different for me, and I’m excited to share it soon.”
Good luck getting rid of women’s esports that easily.
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