After their victory in the League of Legends Midseason Invitational, Gen.G Esports World Cup hopes are high ahead of the tournament start on July 16th.
The two League of Legends titan teams played a full five-game series in a tense battle for the trophy.
Gen.G triumph over T1 in MSI Grand Final
Despite a strong early performance in Game One, T1 built momentum through a commanding gold lead. T1’s resource building and overextension from Gen.G resulted in a T1 victory to open the Grand Final.
Game Two saw Gen.G learn from their previous mistakes, with eventual MVP winner Jeong ‘Chovy’ Ji-hoon stealing the show on Ryze in a match-defining performance.
However, T1’s retaliation was harsh in Game Three. Consistently outmanoeuvring Gen.G and punishing every mistake, they took yet another victory in crushing fashion.
The back-and-forth win pattern and shifting dominance instilled an air of caution in Game Four. Both teams held a strong focus on minimising errors. A crucial team fight at the 21-minute mark opened up Gen.G’s gold lead and allowed them to build momentum, confirming a five-game series to determine the MSI winners.
In the early stages of Game Five, Gen.G’s superior team fights were more valuable than T1’s control over objectives. They were able to maintain a gold lead and snowball through team fight wins, picking up drakes and eventually taking T1’s Nexus to claim the title.
Gen.G Esports World Cup hopes are high, while EMEA teams leave much to be desired
Gen.G’s victory over T1 puts the Korean team firmly in place as the most dominant roster in 2025 League of Legends. Their superior team fights, die-hard determination, and 23-game win streak will earn high odds for a Gen.G Esports World Cup victory on League of Legends betting sites.
While the Korean final treated League of Legends fans to a thrilling finale, European teams reached a new low in MSI 2025. Movistar Koi and G2 Esports failed to win a single series on the MSI stage.
Their mediocre performance and defeat at the hands of North American and Taiwanese teams cemented the LEC as the current weakest region in League of Legends esports.
Heading into the Esports World Cup, they will have to make significant changes to their game approach if they want any hope of success.
The Esports World Cup League of Legends format explained
The top four teams from MSI 2025 hold a fast pass to the Esports World Cup Knockout Stage. Gen.G, T1, Anyone’s Legend, and Bilibili Gaming are the recipients of this honour.
All other teams must begin the League of Legends Esports World Cup tournament in the Group Stage.
There are two groups in total, each with four teams. Every match is played as a best-of-one, with the top two teams from each group reaching the Knockout Stage.
The Knockout Stage follows a single-elimination bracket format, with each match-up played in a best-of-three series. Two teams will battle for the title in a best-of-five on July 20th.
Gen.G Esports World Cup victory seems on the cards, but will T1 return for revenge? All will be revealed in Riyadh.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
