The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) esports YouTube channel has been “temporarily suspended,” MOONTON revealed in an X (Twitter) post today.

The developer said that the suspension happened due to “third-party unauthorised livestreams.” It’s unclear what these were, however, a user commented on MLBB’s Instagram account that it was hacked to promote a cryptocurrency.

MLBB Esports’ YouTube account suspension follows after several other major esports accounts were hacked this morning. According to a report by Dust2 US, the Esports World Cup, ESL CS, BLAST Premier, and BLAST Rainbow Six YouTube accounts were all compromised to push a fake memecoin giveaway.

The accounts ran a fake giveaway stream for a few minutes before they were taken down. The stream featured an old interview of Gabe Newell talking about the Steam Deck with a QR code to the memecoin’s fake giveaway.

All the accounts are available with the hacked stream now deleted. Opening the MLBB Esports account, however, shows that the page isn’t available.

MOONTON has said that it’s communicating with YouTube to fix the situation. The company also urged players to use the other accounts for MLBB esports to watch broadcasts or for updates regarding the M7 World Championship.

Cryptocurrency hacks are common on YouTube which target big accounts to push a fake giveaway. These are usually quickly resolved, which is the likely outcome for the MLBB Esports YouTube channel.

Several tournaments which are a part of the MLBB esports roadmap for H2 2025 are currently ongoing.

The MLBB Professional Leagues (MPL) across Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and MENA are among the ongoing tournaments.

None of the leagues have matches today. However, all the regional channels for the leagues are active.

All these tournaments are extremely crucial as they will decide the representatives at the M7 World Championship, set to happen in Jakarta, Indonesia in January 2025.

The M7 has been pushed to 2026 instead of December due to the SEA Games. The 2025 SEA Games will take place in Thailand with MLBB among the medal events.

Valve has added a new forfeit rule to its Counter-Strike 2 Tournament Operations Rulebook (TOR).

The CS2 developer has also adjusted other criteria relating to player lineups of teams that receive direct invitations to tournaments.

In an update published on October 13th, 2025, Valve added Rule 3.10.1 under the TOR’s Ranked Tournaments section.

The change reveals that tournament operators will “declare a forfeit in any match in which a roster does not field at least three of the invited roster athletes for the entirety of the match.”

The introduction of the rule means that three of the five players representing a roster when it receives an invitation to compete in a tournament must play in that event.

A recent example of a team falling foul of the ruling was FaZe Clan at ESL Pro League Season 22. After benching Håvard ‘rain‘ Nygaard before the event, the organisation added the rifler back onto the starting lineup after forfeiting its opening match against G2 Esports.

In addition to the arrival of Rule 3.10.1, Valve also adjusted Rule 3.2.5 following the rain’s impromptu return to FaZe Clan.

The rule now states that teams that receive direct invitations to a Ranked tournament can only accept if three players from the invited roster are part of the starting lineup. Additionally, the rule states that three of the players invited to compete “will play in each event match.”

The adjustment of the TOR is expected to have a positive impact on the Counter-Strike esports ecosystem, ensuring that organisations are responsible for fielding the correct number of players at high-profile events.

The change also requires teams to consider any planned roster changes in order to adhere to the new guidelines put in place.

The CS Asia Championship 2025 event has reached the playoff stage following a group stage packed with high-profile teams.

16 teams from Europe, Asia, and the Americas have headed to Shanghai, China, for more LAN action before attention turns towards the StarLadder Budapest Major.

Ahead of the playoffs, Esports Insider takes a closer look at the six teams that have secured a place in the playoffs and which have a chance of lifting the trophy.

The six playoff teams have battled through two double-elimination GSL group stages, with three advancing from each.

The two group winners have earned a place in the semi-finals, while the second and third-place teams have qualified for the quarter-finals.

Following a victory at Fragadelphia Blocktober, Fnatic opted to sign Mykyta ‘jackasmo’ Skyba on loan in place of Cai ‘CYPHER‘ Watson, sparking backlash after the British rifler helped the team earn Major qualification.

Despite the team’s Major lineup being up in the air, Fnatic has displayed solid Counter-Strike, beating paiN Gaming and TYLOO to secure a place in the upper bracket final. A 2-1 defeat to HEROIC means the team begins its playoff campaign with a quarter-final clash against 3DMAX.

After missing out on a place at the Major thanks to a lacklustre ESL Pro League Season 22 campaign, HEROIC aims to end 2025 on a high.

Wins over B8, FUT Esports, and Fnatic secured victory in Group B, automatically advancing to the semi-final. The Norwegian organisation will face off against either Legacy or FUT Esports.

The return of Jonathan ‘ELiGE‘ Jablonowski is already sparking improvements for a Team Liquid side that has struggled throughout 2025.

Team Liquid opened its tournament with a 13-9 win over GamerLegion before carrying the momentum into a 2-0 sweep of MIBR to book its place in the playoffs.

Momentum continued to roll against Legacy, completing a reverse sweep to win the series 2-1, securing the top seed in Group A. With the semi-finals locked in, Team Liquid will play either Fnatic or 3DMAX.

Since bursting onto the Tier 1 scene at the BLAST.tv Austin Major, Legacy continues to cement itself on the international stage with solid showings at big tournaments.

A 13-2 demolition in its opening Group A match set the tone, following up with a 2-1 win against 3DMAX to set up a clash with Team Liquid for Group A’s top spot.

Despite taking the opening map, Team Liquid proved too strong, winning the series 2-1, giving Legacy the second seed and a place in the quarter-final.

The South American side begins its playoff run against FUT Esports.

Since the signing of a new roster in May, FUT Esports has established itself as a team full of confidence heading into the final part of the year.

Victory over FaZe Clan in the quarter-finals built up some steam before being dashed by HEROIC in the semis, sending the team to the lower bracket.

A convincing 2-0 sweep of PaiN Gaming set up a rematch against the Red Militia for the third and final playoff place, with an inspired performance from Dmytro ‘dem0n‘ Myroshnychenko leading the charge to a 2-1 series win.

Awaiting the Turkish organisation in the playoff quarter-finals is Legacy, another team that has shown glimpses of brilliance.

The sixth and final team to earn a playoff place is 3DMAX, the highest-ranked team competing in the CS Asia Championship 2025.

The French roster kicked off Group A with a dominant 13-1 win over The Huns Esports, before a 2-1 loss to Legacy sent the team into the lower bracket.

A 2-0 sweep against Lynn Vision Gaming earned a place in the lower bracket, where a defiant Virtus.pro would await. Virtus.pro took the opening map before 3DMAX answered back on Inferno to force a Train decider.

3DMAX ended the first half with a 10-2 lead over Virtus.pro The Russian organisation continued to chip away until round 22, where the French locked in victory to advance. 3DMAX takes on Fnatic in its opening playoff match.

With the group stage done and dusted, attention turns towards the playoffs, where the remaining six teams will compete for championship glory.

The full list of remaining matches is as follows:

Fans can tune into the action across PGL’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

The new multiplayer military shooter by Dice, Battlefield 6, launched with four distinct classes. Battlefield 6 classes might look familiar to FPS fans and series veterans, but there are plenty of changes to the standard formula. With an even stronger focus on squad play, understanding your preferred class’s role is key to victory. 

Each Battlefield 6 class has a signature gadget, weapon skill, and a trait. So while you are free to pick any weapon in any class, there are class bonuses tied to specific weapons for each class. Custom loadouts are back, and you should have one for each class. Here are the classes, and the best loadouts to take your team across the line. 

There are only four classes in Battlefield 6 at launch: Assault, Support, Engineer, and Recon. 

In previous Battlefield games, all four standard classes came with class-locked weapons. Recon class had access to snipers, Engineers could run with SMGs, Assault players had assault rifles, and Support fought with LMGs. Battlefield 6 gives players freedom with two separate playlists, one with open and one with a closed weapons system. The open playlist lets you pick any weapon on any class, opening up some interesting combinations. 

Assault class is the typical frontline attacker class that is great for close and mid-range engagements. One of the best Battlefield 6 classes to be aggressive. 

Support class is the medic who can revive teammates and keep them topped up with ammo. 

The Engineer is the anti-armour class and can repair friendly vehicles. A Battlefield 6 class that is essential in bigger game modes. 

Recon is the long-range class that excels in information gathering, enemy spotting, and devastating long shots.

These are Battlefield 6 loadout recommendations, but you can always play with what feels right. If you’re new, start with these loadouts to get the hang of weapons and gameplay, or check out our essential tips for Call of Duty players trying out Battlefield. There’s nothing stopping you from running a shotgun on the Recon class if that makes you happy; it’s perfectly viable. 

Ammo Type: Polymer Case Lightweight

Barrel: 409mm Fluted

Magazine: 30 RND Fast Mag

Muzzle: Compensated Brake

Scope: Mini Flex 1.00x

Underbarrel: Ribbed Stubby

Ammo Type: FMJ 

Barrel: Heavy

Magazine: 40 RND Mag

Muzzle: Slant Brake

Scope: 2.50x Optic

Underbarrel: Akkiy Vertical

Right Accessory: Canted Iron Sights

Barrel: 225mm Factory

Magazine: 30RND Fast Mag

Muzzle: Compensated Brake

Right Accessory: 50MW Green

Underbarrel: Ribbed Stubby

Barrel: 26″ Carbon

Left Accessory: Range Finder

Magazine: 5RND Magazine

Muzzle: Double-Port Brake

Scope: SSDS 6.00x

Underbarrel: Bipod

While there are plenty of ways to play each Battlefield 6 class, here is what will get you the highest score:

Assault – Be the frontline, take charge, and secure objectives. Grab the knife to run faster and reach points of contention faster. Use the shotgun in close quarters; it packs a punch. 

Support – Your job is to wait till your friends die, and revive them for some juicy points and XP. You can also resupply sniper nests; those guys are always hungry for ammo. While suppressing fire is nearly useless in Battlefield 6, you can use the LMG to take down enemies instead. 

Engineer – This class is invaluable in maps that have vehicles, not so much in infantry-only ones. Stick to the best tank driver in your squad, repair the vehicle, and use secondary weapons when needed. The SMG is great for taking down any kamikaze enemy, too. 

Recon – Stay out of sight and line of fire, find a nice perch, and take potshots at enemies. I recommend moving closer to objectives and disrupting enemy reinforcements well before they reach the objective location. Use gadgets to avoid flanking enemies. 

Battlefield 6 is off to a good start with thousands of gamers flocking to its servers. Apart from the slow XP rate, fans are generally enjoying what the game offers. All Battlefield classes are well-balanced, do what they are supposed to do, and most importantly, are fun to play. The focus on Squad play, classic class system, and listening to the fans is paying off for Dice. We can’t wait to see what’s in store next. 

The 2025 League of Legends World Championship Swiss Stage continues to provide upsets as the LCP’s CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO) defeats defending champions T1 to go 2-0.

Today’s Worlds 2025 Swiss Stage also featured two regional clashes, with G2 Esports and FlyQuest walking away victorious and going 1-1 as a result. 

Esports Insider takes a look at the biggest talking points from round two of League of Legends Worlds 2025 Swiss Stage.

Perhaps topping 100 Thieves’ win against Bilibili Gaming yesterday, CFO has taken down T1 to put the Pacific representative one series away from reaching the Knockout Stage. 

One of the most surprising moments of the BO1 match-up actually occurred before both teams stepped on the rift, with CFO opting to put its star bot laner Chiu ‘Doggo’ Tzu-chuan on Draven.

The risk undoubtedly paid off, as the Taiwanese player recorded a deathless game on the carry with a 6/0/12 KDA. His dominant display included a solo first blood in the opening few minutes of the game against top laner Choi ‘Doran’ Hyeon-joon as well as crucial aggression in extended team fights across objectives.

However, it wasn’t just the team’s bot laner that wowed fans, Yu ‘JunJia’ Chun-chia’s Qiyana gameplay and Tsai ‘HongQ’ Ming-Hong’s well-executed Ryze ults ultimately saw CFO record a surprisingly dominant 25-11 32-minute upset. 

Whilst CFO is flying high in the upper bracket, the same, however, cannot be said for its other LCP representatives. Despite KT Rolster once again showing early game weaknesses, the LCK third seed bounced back to walk away victorious against Team Secret Whales to go 2-0. 

After securing first blood and two dragons by the 15-minute mark, Team Secret Whales had created a solid foundation for its team comp, which included the likes of Caitlyn, Orianna and Ornn. However, this momentum started to shift in favour of KT Rolster after taking the Rift Herald. The slow-paced game also saw KT Rolster take the first tower at the 17th-minute mark.

Ultimately, the matchup was decided around the Baron pit — which KT took at 26 minutes — allowing the LCK team to record a 14-11 28-minute victory. 

In the lower bracket, PSG Talon were perhaps drawn against the hardest team in the round, facing off against LCK second seed Hanwha Life Esports (HLE).

Despite a valiant, fast-paced early game from PSG Talon, which included securing the first kill, tower and dragon, the LCK second seed quelled PSG’s aggression to secure a 1-1 record. The turning point of the game undoubtedly came in the 22nd minute as a qudra kill from HLE mid laner Kim ‘Zeka’ Geon-wooon helped seal the victory.

Given that the LEC teams in round one failed to win a single BO1, the likelihood of a LEC vs LEC match-up was high.

So it was no surprise to see G2 Esports be drawn against MKOI in a rematch of the LEC Summer Split finals. 

What was surprising was the dominant fashion in which G2 defeated the Spanish organisation. The match started off well for MKOI with Javier ‘Elyoya’ Prades securing an early first blood against fellow jungler Rudy ‘SkewMond’ Semaan. Moreover, in the opening 9 minutes, the Spanish side was able to secure all three void grubs and pick up two extra kills. 

However, following constant skirmish victories by G2 Esports and its powerful team composition, which included the likes of Yunara, Bard and LeBlanc, the LEC Summer champion was able to take control over the Rift. In the end, G2 walked away with the victory in 28 minutes with a commanding 20-7 scoreline and a gold lead that exceeded 10,000. 

Speaking of commanding results, in a LTA 2025 finals rematch, FlyQuest was able to bounce back from its loss to T1 by recording an emphatic 26-5 win against Vivo Keyd Stars. With inspired performances from FlyQuest’s mid laner Song ‘Quad’ Su-hyeong on Viktor (9/0/9 KDA) and Kacper ‘Inspired’ Słoma’s Wukong (10/2/12), the North American side finished the game with a 16,000 gold lead in 32 minutes. 

The defeats put both Vivo Keyd and MKOI in precarious positions, as both sides will now be entering the 0-2 bracket and face early elimination from Worlds 2025. Joining the 0-2 bracket is another Western team, as LEC’s third seed Fnatic was unable to contain Bilibili Gaming (BLG). 

In what was a rather successful day for LPL teams, BLG recorded a huge victory against Fnatic, in what was another one-sided match. Finishing the game in 28 minutes with a 16-6 scoreline and a 10,000 gold lead, BLG has seemingly re-found its groove. For this match-up, BLG opted to play with former LEC champion Zhao ‘Shad0w’ Zhiqiang as its starting Jungler. 

However, there is still hope for the west, with the likes of G2 Esports and FlyQuest entering the 1-1 bracket, alongside North American side 100 Thieves. 

Despite its upset victory against Bilibili Gaming yesterday, the team faced a crushing blow at the hands of LPL’s third seed Top Esports. Ending the game with an 18,000 gold deficit, 100 Thieves will be hoping to bounce back from its 9-24 26-minute loss in the next round.

On the other hand, Top Esports is already looking likely to be a contender for the Worlds 2025 trophy, especially if its mid laner Lin ‘Creme’ Jian continues to perform on the international stage. In this game alone, the mid laner’s Ryze recorded a 9/0/11 KDA.

Prior to the tournament, Gen.G was — and probably still is — considered one of the tournament favourites for the League of Legends 2025 Worlds Championship. However, the unpredictability of BO1 continues to showcase unexpected results as the MSI 2025 champion falls to China’s Anyone’s Legend. 

The back-and-forth 16-10 match initially started with a solid early game from the Chinese side, managing to secure two dragons and a slight gold lead. Still, the match turned in Gen.G’s favour in the 19th minute, around the third dragon. Piloting the Kai’Sai, Park ‘Ruler’ Jae-hyuk’s triple kill swung momentum to help Gen.G take advantage in the mid-game. 

However, despite ultimately walking out of the team fight with a loss, Anyone’s Legend’s Lee ‘Tarzan’ Seung-yong was able to steal the dragon to put the LPL team one away from Dragon Soul. Surviving Gen.G’s pressure until the next dragon was crucial. Despite the LCK team securing Atakhan, Anyone’s Legend was able to secure the Cloud Dragon Soul in 25 minutes to fight back the lead. 

Following Anyone’s Legend securing a crucial team fight around the Elder Dragon in 30 minutes, the team recorded a huge win in front of a home crowd. Moreover, Anyone’s Legends is now the second LPL side to go 2-0 at Worlds 2025. 

Round three of League of Legends Worlds 2025 Swiss Stage will see the first team promoted to the Knockouts and eliminated from the competition. However, unlike the previous rounds, this section will take place over three days (October 17th – 19th). The reason for this is that teams vying for qualification/ elimination will now clash in BO3 match-ups. 

All matches will be streamed live on League of Legends’ official esports Twitch and YouTube channels, alongside accepted co-streamers. Games will kick off on October 17th at 9AM BST.

2-0 Matches

1-1 Matches

0-2 Matches

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) has collaborated with Counter-Strike legend Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut and Prodigy Agency to launch a ROG Falchion Ace HFX ZywOo Edition keyboard.

The keyboard has been co-created with the French player, and the announcement comes five months after he was named a global ambassador for the PC hardware manufacturer. 

The ROG Falchion Ace HFX ZywOo Edition is a 65% gaming keyboard featuring ROG HFX magnetic switches, Rapid Trigger technology, Speed Tap mode, an interactive touch panel, and an 8000Hz polling rate.

“When we created the ASUS ROG global ambassador deal a few months ago, the vision was always to go further and co-create iconic products with ZywOo,” shared Jérôme Coupez, Founder & CEO of Prodigy Agency.

“This keyboard is the perfect next step, and we are proud at Prodigy to have co-created a product that captures both his mindset and his legacy.”

In addition, the keyboard sports a signature design themed around ZywOo.

“I have been playing with the Falchion Ace HFX for months now, and it has been a key part of my success this season,” said the Team Vitality player.

“Being able to create my own version with ASUS ROG feels very special. It is something I always dreamed of, and I cannot wait for fans to experience the keyboard the same way I do in competition.”

The ROG Falchion Ace HFX ZywOo Edition keyboard will be available on ASUS ROG’s official website.

ZywOo, known as The Chosen One, is having another remarkable year in his Counter-Strike career, which now spans over a decade. He has won eight Tier 1 CS2 events in 2025 for Team Vitality, while grabbing seven back-to-back MVP titles.

According to the press release, he played with the ROG Falchion Ace HFX ZywOo Edition keyboard at ESL Pro League Season 22, where the roster lifted the champions trophy in June 2025.

Esports organisation T1 has announced that it will be opening cafés in Malaysia and Thailand on October 18th, 2025.

The announcement comes as the South Korean team competes in the League of Legends World Championships 2025 in China.

According to the announcement post, these are the locations of both cafés:

What will be included in the café was not revealed. However, fans can likely expect to see similar features to its base camp café, including PC gaming rigs, food and drinks, T1 merchandise and more.

Last year, South Korean organisation T1 Entertainment & Sport announced a $35m capital investment to bolster its operations. According to CEO, Joe Marsh, the investment aimed to expand the T1 Base Camp and PC gaming café opened in Seoul, South Korea.

T1 is not the only esports organisation to invest in venues and properties. Earlier this year, fellow Worlds 2025 competitor and MSI Champion, Gen.G Esports, launched the Gen.G Gaming Xperience venue in South Korea.

The announcement arrives while T1 competes in the League of Legends World Championships 2025 as the reigning champions.

As of writing, the Swiss Stage is underway, and the squad has already played matches against FlyQuest (win) and CTBC Flying Oyster (loss). T1 will aim to qualify amongst the top eight teams in the Knockout Stage, where it will fight for a place in the Grand Finals.

Worlds 2025 is the crowning event of the League of Legends esports scene, where the top 17 teams from around the world compete for the lion’s share of its $5m (~£3.7m) prize pool.

League of Legends World Championship (Worlds 2025) is the most highly anticipated esports event of the year, and this season is coming in hot with stacked competition from grizzled veterans and shiny new rosters. Starting from October 14, 2025, the global event makes its third return to China, where the tournament will rage on until the grand finals of November 9. 

But before that, 17 (16 after play-ins) of the world’s top teams will undergo a Swiss format to qualify for the Knockout stage. This year’s World Championship adopts the Fearless Draft system for the first time in the tournament. Additionally, this is the first tournament featuring the LCP and the first (and last) appearance of the LTA.

For fans who only tune in during Worlds, this is a quick guide with the teams and key players heading into the tournament, the main storylines, alongside a prediction on who will lift the Summoner’s Cup at the end of it all.

All four of Korea’s teams are expected to make deep runs into Worlds 2025, with expectations that at least one (or most likely two) will fight in the grand finals.

Gen.G Esports is the team to beat, entering Worlds as the reigning LCK champions, the EWC 2025 champions, and the 2025 MSI champions. If that wasn’t enough, Gen.G even set a record for the longest win streak in League esports. This lineup is five aces deep, which almost feels unfair for everyone else. If they don’t march onto that finals stage, it will be a tragic end to a historic season.

Don’t undervalue the other LCK representatives, though. Top laner and previous Worlds MVP Zeus has found great success with Hanwha Life Esports (HLE). Together with ADC powerhouse Viper, they became the LCK runner-up. The team has maintained its position as a top contender since winning the international First Stand tournament earlier this year. The squad has three former winners in its lineup (Zeka and Viper), with Zeus chasing a third title.

Of course, it wouldn’t feel right to hold Worlds without T1. The play-in series between T1 and Invictus Gaming (T1) was worthy of a grand final and immediately broke viewership records for the tournament. While the hype is slowly fading away, remember that they were there in the first place because they barely squeaked by as the fourth seed.

With IG bowing out early, the spotlight swings to the LPL’s top seed. Bilibili Gaming still has that 3–2 sting from last year’s final vs. T1. However, they’ve been grinding domestically while also showing up strong during international events.

Another huge contender from China is Anyone’s Legend (AL), a team that wasn’t even on the radar at the start of the year but quickly rose to prominence with good results. Led by star jungle Tarzan, AL almost took the trophy away from Gen.G in its five-game series in EWC 2025. They came in third during MSI, pushing Gen.G and T1 to the limit during the tournament.

For the first time, we have the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP), a newly merged Asia-Pacific league combining Southeast Asia (PCS), Vietnam (VCS), Japan (LJL), and Oceania, formed to create stronger competition.

LCP’s champion, CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO), is the strongest team ever from the Pacific region. In its debut year, CFO achieved an unprecedented domestic grand slam, winning all three splits with a combined record of only one loss all year. The young roster is expected to fight all the way to the top eight.

Europe’s G2 Esports also cannot be overlooked. G2 had a rebuilding year with two new players. While Mid laner Caps is eager to recapture his old glory, G2 has struggled to get past the Worlds group stage the past two years. Before ever considering the top teams, they’ll need to beat gatekeepers like Flying Oyster and FlyQuest to get there.

On the Western front, the League Championship of the Americas (LTA), a temporary merged league of North America, Latin America, and Brazil, produced a clear front-runner in FlyQuest. 

FlyQuest enters Worlds as the best hope for the region, returning with the same roster that nearly upset Gen.G in last year’s quarterfinals. They dominated the Americas region again in 2025, and are led by star jungler Kacper “Inspired” Słoma, who was MVP in both Europe and NA in recent years.

Gen.G enters Worlds 2025 as the overwhelming favourites to win, and it won’t be to anyone’s surprise if they do just that. The squad is stacked with superstars, while the other contenders have shown weakness in previous tournaments. 

Chovy mid and ADC Ruler are your usual headline acts. But don’t sleep on Canyon, the former Worlds champ who’s solid on objectives and enabling the team. Who actually pushes them in a final? It’s all up to Bilibili Gaming, Hanwha Life Esports, and T1.

BLG is China’s best hope and the strongest LPL team in years. With Worlds on home soil this year, they will have massive crowd support to push for the trophy. Mid laner Knight is one of the most decorated LPL players with multiple domestic titles, and fellow experienced top laner Bin backs him up.

Hanwha Life Esports and T1 have championship-calibre squads and will likely easily make it into the top four. Eventually, they’ll run into Gen.G, and that’s a puzzle they’ve been trying to solve domestically the whole season. HLE’s Viper and Zeus are already among the best in their roles globally, but they’ll have to put on flawless performances in high-pressure matches if they want to make it to the end. 

Meanwhile, reigning champions T1 barely qualified as LCK’s fourth seed and had to survive through five brutal matches against IG. Thankfully, Faker has made it through, and the viewership for the tournament is saved. The GOAT is making his 10th World appearance, but he’ll need to surpass and not just keep up with the skilled midlaners in the tournament.

Support Keria is undoubtedly the best in his role in the tournament, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to subpar performances. If T1 can fix its inconsistency, then it can settle its rivalry with Gen.G at the main stage.

These are the expected teams who will make it to the top four, but these next four teams surely deserve a spot in the top eight with the potential to make it further: Anyone’s Legend, FlyQuest, CTBC Flying Oyster, and Top Esports. If those squads go deep, the usual script gets spicy and messes with the expected regional pecking order.

This Worlds 2025, expect the full package: drama, cracked mechanics, and big-stage spectacle. Grudges, rivalries, lore, and regional flexing are all queued up. Korean teams are expected to attain high results, but Chinese squads could find their fighting spirit on home soil.

Not only that, but unexpected teams are slowly closing in on the competition, like with Flying Oyster, and there’s finally hope for the West with FlyQuest. Regardless of who makes it to the top, Gen.G will be there, and it’s all up to them to close out a historic season.