Two of the most storied organizations in League of Legends history — T1 and Invictus Gaming (IG) — are set to collide in a do-or-die match to open the 2025 World Championship. The best-of-five Play-In will determine who moves on to the Swiss Stage, while the loser’s Worlds campaign ends before it truly begins.

Riot Games announced that the event will kick off October 14 at the Beijing Smart Esports Center. The clash marks the official start of this year’s tournament, which features 17 teams from five regions. Both T1 and IG enter as the fourth seeds from their respective leagues — Korea’s LCK and China’s LPL — following strong showings at their regional playoffs.

T1 enters Worlds as the back-to-back defending champion, having claimed the Summoner’s Cup in both 2023 and 2024. Led by legendary mid laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, T1 holds a record five world titles. Meanwhile, IG remains a symbol of LPL excellence; in 2018, they became China’s first-ever World Champions, led by the Korean duo of Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok and Song “Rookie” Eui-jin.

2025 League of Legends World Championship Play-In Preview

T1 and IG share a long history of rivalry. IG currently leads their all-time head-to-head in game wins, 3–1, dating back to the 2018 and 2019 seasons. However, T1 has dominated recent years, boasting a perfect 10-series winning streak against LPL opponents in best-of-five matches across the past two Worlds tournaments.

The Play-In victor will join 16 teams in the Swiss Stage, which begins October 15. Riot revealed that Pool 1 will feature all #1 regional seeds, while Pool 2 includes the #2 seeds and the promoted #3 seed from the Play-In winner’s region. The remaining #3 seeds and the Play-In winner make up Pool 3. 

The Swiss Stage follows a record-based format — teams with matching win-loss records will face each other in subsequent rounds, ensuring a balanced and unpredictable path to the knockout stage.