Riot Games announce ASI, new international League of Legends tournament

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 17/09/2025

Riot Games has added yet another international League of Legends event to the LoL esports calendar.

This year has already seen more international LoL Esports tournaments than ever before, with the new addition of First Stand.

That event was joined by the usual line-up of the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), Esports World Cup, and the LoL World Championships.

Now, a new event has been unveiled in the 2025 LoL Asia Invitational (ASI).

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ASI is an event jointly hosted by Huya Live, Douyu Live, and Bilibili.

The new tournament will welcome teams from South Korea’s LCK, China’s LPL, and the multinational LCP.

ASI will take place just before Worlds, taking place between October 6th to October 12th.

That grand final on the 12th will be just two days before the LoL Worlds Play-Ins begin.

The event will invite the teams from the three aforementioned leagues that failed to qualify for Worlds.

This means the fifth, sixth, and seventh-placed teams from LCK and LPL, as well as LCP’s fourth and fifth-placed teams.

There’s a very real chance that reigning World Champions T1 and Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeuk may compete ASI.

Although this is an invitational event, qualified teams may bow out and be replaced by other options.

The ASI format will see the eight teams split into two groups of four, where they’ll compete in a round-robin of best-of-threes.

Then, the Playoffs will see the top four teams compete through a double-elimination bracket of more bo3s.

The grand final will then feature a best-of-five series to decide the winner.

LoL ASI will have a prize pool of CNY 1.5m (£154k) with the champions taking home ¥600k (£61.7k).

What teams will compete at the LoL Asia Invitational 2025?

Various teams have already qualified for the inaugural ASI event.

LCK’s 6th and 7th seeds are already confirmed as FEARX and NS Redforce.

The fifth and top seed from LCK at the event will be decided tomorrow in an intense best-of-five between two former World Champions: T1 and DPlus.

The winner of that match will earn Worlds qualification, while the loser will almost certainly be favourites on LoL betting sites to win ASI.

Meanwhile, the LPL is still deciding most of its Worlds teams, so its ASI seeds have not been determined yet.

But LCP’s ASI competitors are already confirmed in GAM Esports and Vikings Esports.

Many will be surprised to see MSI and EWC participants GAM have failed to qualify for Worlds.

Both they and Vikings were eliminated by another Vietnamese team in Team Secret Whales.

Currently, there aren’t plans for an equivalent tournament featuring EMEA and Americas teams from the LEC and LTA.

Fnatic kept their LoL Worlds hopes alive by sweeping GIANTX, but might wish a Western version existed if they lose to Karmine Corp.

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

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