League of Legends Worlds 2025 Preview: Is ‘The Script’ already written?

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 13/10/2025

The League of Legends World Championship 2025 begins in Beijing on Tuesday morning with T1 facing off against Invictus Gaming in the Play-in series that will determine the final team in the main stage Swiss group stage.

While the European contingent of G2, Fnatic, and KOI await their opening game opponents, one question is on the lips of every LoL fan:

‘Are we sticking to the same script?’

You know? ‘The Script’:

1. T1 barely qualify for Worlds as the fourth and final LCK seed.
2. They do so, having won a single climactic playoff series, which barely qualifies them for Worlds.
3. Gen.G have won MSI and are looking like strong favourites for Worlds.
4. So naturally, T1 will win Worlds on a miracle run…

We’ve been here before, we’ve seen The Script. It’s simply a rehash of 2024!

It seems that no matter the domestic struggles, Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok and T1 show up in force at Worlds.

Certainly, T1 believe in The Script. Their ‘Seize the World’ Worlds 2025 promo video has each player proudly predict, “We’ll make history once again.”

Just one problem, The Script cannot be exactly the same as 2024 as Worlds has a slightly different format this time out.

Instead of a fully-fledged Play-in tournament, we have only one play-in match, featuring League’s apparent protagonists.

The fourth seeds of the LCK and LPL will duke it out for that final spot, with T1 and Invictus Gaming facing a do-or-die Best of 5 to open the Worlds proceedings.

Invictus are the fourth and final LPL seed, having finished runners up in the Regional Finals, but the team is extremely strong domestically, boasting the second-best overall record in the Group Stage of LPL Split 3.

IG may be the unexpected fork in the road that derails our perfect, immaculate Script.

But surely it’s no issue T1’s start at Worlds 2025 may be worrisome, but T1 fans are no strangers to a few heart palpitations. So long as The Script is not thrown away on Tuesday morning, T1 fans can rest assured that all is going to plan.

The League of Legends Worlds 2025 Play-in is scheduled for 09:00 BST October 14.

Full LoL World Championship 2025 Format, Prize pool, dates & team list

Prize Pool: $5,000,000
First Place: $1,000,000

Format:-

All matches: Fearless Draft
– Patch 25.20

Play-in:

• Date: October 14
• Venue: JD Esports Centre, Beijing
• Best of five (Bo5)

Group Stage – Swiss format

• Dates: October 15-19 & October 22-25
• Venue: JD Esports Centre, Beijing
• Matches are Bo1, except qualification/elimination matches, which are Bo3

Playoffs – Eight-team, single-elimination:

• Dates: October 28-November 2; November 9
• Venues: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai (Quarter-Finals & Semi-Finals); Dong’an Lake Sports Park, Chengdu (Grand Final)
• All matches are Bo5

The first matches of the Swiss Stage won’t be known until after the Play-in contest.

The full team list for Worlds is as such:

The main event Group Stage commences October 15, running successive Wednesdays to Fridays, October 15-19; 22-25.

In the Swiss Stage, teams will advance with three wins and face elimination upon three losses.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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