The 2025 League of Legends World Championship came to a thrilling close on November 9 at Chengdu's Dong'an Lake Sports Park Multifunctional Gymnasium, where T1 etched their names into esports immortality. The Korean powerhouse secured a historic third consecutive Worlds title and sixth overall championship with a nail-biting 3-2 victory over fellow LCK rivals KT Rolster, cementing their status as the greatest team in LoL competitive history.
Worlds 2025: Tournament Background and Format
Marking the 15th anniversary of LoL esports, Worlds 2025 adopted the theme “Earn Your Legacy” and returned to China for a cross-city spectacle spanning three stages. The competition kicked off with the Play-In stage in Beijing on October 14, followed by the Swiss stage (October 15-25) at the same venue, and concluded with knockout rounds in Shanghai and Chengdu. The revised format featured Play-In matches as best-of-five showdowns, a Swiss stage combining best-of-one and best-of-three battles, and single-elimination playoffs with all matches contested in best-of-five series. This structure tested teams' adaptability and resilience—qualities that would define T1's journey to the top.
T1's Unlikely Path to the Finals
Few expected T1's road to glory to begin in the Play-In stage, but the team entered Worlds 2025 as the LCK's fourth seed, forcing them to fight through the qualifying round. Their campaign started strong with a 3-1 victory over China's Invictus Gaming, but the Swiss stage brought unexpected challenges. After falling to a 1-2 record and facing elimination, T1 rallied with back-to-back sweeps of North America's 100 Thieves and Spain's Movistar Koi to secure a playoff spot.
The knockout stage showcased T1's championship pedigree. They survived a tense five-game quarterfinal against LPL's Anyone's Legend, then dominated China's Top Esports with a 3-0 semifinal sweep to punch their ticket to the finals. For rookies like top laner Choi “Doran” Hyeon-jun and veterans alike, every match became a testament to their ability to perform under pressure.
The Finals: A Rollercoaster LCK Rivalry
The championship clash between T1 and KT Rolster was a classic “Telecom War” that lived up to its hype, delivering five hours of edge-of-your-seat action. KT struck first by seizing early-game control in the opening match, but T1 flipped the script when jungler Moon “Oner” Hyun-joon secured a clutch dragon steal—a pivotal objective that shifted momentum in their favor. KT responded with back-to-back wins, as mid laner Kwak “Bdd” Bo-seong shined on Mel in Game 2 and jungler Moon “Cuzz” Woo-chan dictated the pace of Game 3 to put T1 in a 1-2 hole.
Trailing by a game, T1 unleashed their championship resilience. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok's masterful Anivia play in Game 4 cut off KT's movement and turned team fights, while support Ryu “Keria” Min-seok delivered flawless initiations to even the series at 2-2. The decisive fifth game saw T1 opt for a crowd-control-heavy composition featuring Camille, Pantheon, Galio, Miss Fortune, and Leona— a strategic choice that overwhelmed KT with coordinated execution. At the 36-minute mark, T1 executed a perfect team fight to ace KT and secure the title-clinching victory.
Record-Breaking Achievements and Standout Performers
T1's victory shattered multiple records, making them the first team in LoL history to win three consecutive Worlds titles and extending their record to six overall championships—surpassing their own legacy as the most decorated franchise in the sport. For Faker, the win capped a historic tournament where he set a new record by playing 14 unique champions, silencing doubts about his adaptability to the Fearless Draft format and reinforcing his status as the game's greatest of all time (GOAT).
Bottom laner Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyung earned the Oppo MVP honors for his standout finals performance, while Doran claimed his first Worlds title in his debut tournament with T1. The team's final record of 17 wins and 7 losses stands as the second-highest win total in Worlds history, a testament to their consistency across the grueling month-long competition.
The Legacy of T1's Threepeat
T1's 2025 Worlds triumph is more than just a championship—it's a statement about longevity and adaptability in esports. From starting in the Play-In stage to overcoming deficits in the finals, the team's journey embodied the tournament's “Earn Your Legacy” theme. Their three-year reign (2023-2025) joins their 2015-2016 back-to-back titles as one of the most dominant eras in competitive gaming, while Faker's sixth championship further cements his position as a transcendent figure in esports history.
For KT Rolster, despite falling short, their runner-up finish marked their best Worlds performance to date, earning them $800,000 in prize money and global respect for pushing the defending champions to their limits. The finals' intense back-and-forth also highlighted the LCK's continued dominance in the global LoL scene, as Korean teams once again claimed the top two spots on the Worlds podium.
As fans celebrate T1's historic threepeat, the esports world looks ahead to what's next for the dynasty. With their core roster intact and a new generation of talent emerging, T1's reign shows no signs of slowing down—proving that in the world of League of Legends, greatness is earned, not given.