The 2025 League of Legends World Championship (Worlds), which will set the hearts of esports fans around the world racing, has finally entered the quarterfinals. This year's tournament, held in China from October 14th to November 9th, will feature the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena, where the strongest teams will be engaged in a true battle. The eight teams that have passed the Swiss stage will compete fiercely with the burning desire for the Summoner's Cup. This quarterfinal will be held in a best-of-five (Bo5) format, not a single-match format, and the new rule of 'Fearless Draft' will be applied, which means that a champion used once cannot be selected again in that series, making the ban-pick fights even more strategic. Let's take a closer look at each team's power and key players to see which team will advance to the semifinals and continue their challenge to win.
The 2025 Worlds quarterfinals will be held for four days, from October 28th to October 31st. The four LCK teams (Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports, T1, KT Rolster), which successfully completed the Swiss stage, the two LPL teams (Anyone's Legend, Top Esports), CTBC Flying Oyster from LCP, and G2 Esports from LEC have made it to the quarterfinals. Each matchup is as follows:
LCK is still demonstrating its strong status by advancing all four teams to the quarterfinals of this Worlds.
Gen.G is the undisputed world's best team, showing overwhelming performance by winning both the 2025 LCK Spring, MSI, EWC, and LCK Summer. The outstanding skills of 'Ruler', the performance of rookie support 'Duro', and the solid lineup of 'Kiin', 'Chovy', and 'Canyon' have the potential to dominate the game in all positions. In particular, 'Chovy' is considered one of the best mid-laners in modern League of Legends, and 'Kiin' is also the most reliable top laner. Gen.G aims to achieve the 'Golden Road' in this Worlds.
Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) has demonstrated its strong presence since the beginning of the 2025 season with the addition of 'Zeus'. They showed their potential by winning the LCK Cup and 'First Stand', and consistently maintained a high ranking in the LCK league. The skillful operation of 'Peanut', and the excellent individual skills of 'Zeka', 'Viper', and 'Life' create a strong team synergy. HLE, which has grown through fierce competition with Gen.G, is aiming for the championship in this Worlds.
T1 is the team with the most World Championship wins in the history of League of Legends, and is considered to have 'Worlds DNA'. Although they have shown some ups and downs in the domestic league, the World Championship experience of veteran players such as 'Faker', 'Oner', 'Gumayusi', and 'Keria' is a strength that no team can ignore. In particular, 'Oner's' form is very good, and he shows tremendous destructive power when he plays 'Jarvan' or 'Xin Zhao'. T1 will face Anyone's Legend of the LPL in the quarterfinals, putting them on a strong test from the beginning.
KT Rolster showed their potential by causing an upset in the 2025 LCK Summer playoffs, defeating Gen.G 3:2. This is the only time Gen.G has lost in a Bo5 since the 2025 LCK Cup. 'Bdd' is currently considered one of the top 3 mid-laners in the world, showing outstanding skills and playing a key carry role for the team. The performance of 'Cuzz' is important, and 'Deokdam' and 'Peter' also show potential. KT is expected to show stable game management in their match against CTBC Flying Oyster of LCP.
Anyone's Legend (AL) rose as the new powerhouse of the LPL, winning the 2025 LPL Spring runner-up and the Summer championship. They showed strong performance in the international arena, defeating HLE and T1 in the EWC, and showed excellent gameplay, pushing Gen.G to a full set match twice. The team's cohesion and aggressive play centered around 'Tarzan' can overwhelm opponents at any time. In particular, the quarterfinal match against T1 is a matchup that many fans wanted to see in the finals, and it is already attracting a lot of attention.
Top Esports (TES) is another strong team in the LPL, and has players with excellent individual skills. In particular, 'Knight' is considered the best mid-laner of the current era along with 'Chovy', and plays the key carry role for the team. In the quarterfinals against G2 Esports, TES will aim for victory based on strong lane play and teamfight abilities.
CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO) advanced to Worlds by showing overwhelming performance in the LCP league. Veteran players such as 'Jungler Junjia' and 'Marksman Doggo' are the core of the team, and rookie mid-laner 'HongQ' is showing potential, earning the nickname 'Baby Faker'. They can use various strategies utilizing flexible top laner 'Driver' and 'Rest', and it will be interesting to see if they can create an upset against KT Rolster.
G2 Esports is the only team from the European LEC to advance to the quarterfinals, and is receiving the expectations of Western fans. Veteran players such as 'Caps' and 'BrokenBlade' are showing strong teamwork with the growth of rookies such as 'SkewMond' and 'Labrov'. They are good at shaking opponents with unpredictable strategies and bold plays, and they will go all out to defend the pride of Europe in their match against Top Esports.
In this Worlds quarterfinals, expectations are high for the performances of each team's superstars. Gen.G's 'Chovy' and T1's 'Faker' are key players who can influence the flow of the game in the mid lane, and HLE's 'Zeus' and AL's 'Tarzan' will show overwhelming influence in their respective positions. In particular, the 'Fearless Draft' will have a great impact on the players' champion pool and the team's ban-pick strategy. It will be difficult to survive with a limited champion pool, and players will be required to have a wider understanding of champions.
The match between Gen.G and HLE is expected to be a fierce match due to their mutual understanding as an internal LCK match. It will be interesting to see whether Gen.G will continue their overwhelming performance from the regular season, or whether HLE will create an upset. The match between KT Rolster and CTBC Flying Oyster will be an interesting matchup where KT's stable operations and CFO's unpredictable plays meet. The match between G2 Esports and Top Esports is the match between the last hope of the West and the strong LPL team, and the key will be whether G2's creative strategy can break through TES's strong lane play. Finally, the match between Anyone's Legend and T1 is receiving tremendous expectations from fans, as if it were the actual final. As both teams prefer an aggressive style, it is expected that a colorful battle and unpredictable results will unfold.
The 2025 Worlds quarterfinals will begin with more heat than ever before. The strongest teams representing each region will gather in one place and begin their final journey towards the Summoner's Cup. New elements such as 'Fearless Draft' will add to the fun of the game, and the outstanding skills of the players and the teams' meticulous strategies will present fans with unforgettable scenes. Which team will break through this fierce competition and win the glory of the 2025 Worlds championship? The eyes of esports fans around the world are focused on Shanghai. Let's watch and cheer together for this historic moment!
Q1: When and where will the 2025 Worlds quarterfinals be held?
A1: The 2025 Worlds quarterfinals will be held from October 28th to October 31st at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China.
Q2: What is the 'Fearless Draft' applied in this Worlds quarterfinals?
A2: The 'Fearless Draft' is a rule that prevents a champion used once from being selected again within the series in a best-of-five game. This will test the teams' champion pool and strategic flexibility.
Q3: Which Korean (LCK) teams advanced to the quarterfinals?
A3: A total of four teams, Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports, T1, and KT Rolster, advanced to the quarterfinals.
Q4: What is the schedule for Gen.G and T1's quarterfinal matches?
A4: Gen.G will compete against Hanwha Life Esports on October 28th, and T1 will face Anyone's Legend on October 31st.
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