LPL and LCK secure additional Worlds Slots following MSI top 4 lockout

At the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), the LPL and LCK once again proved why they reign supreme in competitive League of Legends, locking out the additional worlds slots. With the latest victory over FlyQuest (FLY), BiliBili Gaming (BLG) is the last team to join the top four, as Korea and China continue to be the best competitive regions internationally.

It’s getting closer… but LPL and LCK are always the winners

While the two regions have maintained their regional superiority at the tournament, the team’s runs weren’t as smooth as some people would’ve expected. Even Gen.G, who was initially coming in as the tournament favorites, dropped a game against G2, who was probably the weakest team among the Western squads at the tournament.

MKOI took a game off from BiliBili Gaming in the upper bracket and was then eliminated by LCP’s CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO), who had previously forced T1 to Silver Scrapes. Compared to previous international tournaments, it looks like the West is bridging the gap… but it doesn’t seem quite enough.

In an interview between Caedrel and Tabe, Anyone Legend’s (AL) head coach mentioned how European teams should focus on their fundamentals, such as the laning phase and decision making. That’s because when Western teams find themselves in an optimal or advantageous game state, they struggle to push the lead further. Eastern teams are much more used to finding ways to come back from non-ideal situations and find the super play they need to get back in the game.

This essentially explains why MSI only had two perfect sweeps in the playoff stage (T1 vs BLG, FLY vs G2). It might feel frustrating for a team like FLY to come so close to beating two Eastern teams at two international tournaments (last year with Gen.G, this year with BLG). Still, the overall direction seems correct, and there is increasing hope to see the West finally pull off the upset in future global events.

The additional Worlds Slots can be a difference maker for the two Eastern regions

For powerhouse regions like China and Korea, the fourth seed is more than just an extra team; it’s a direct representation of the region’s strength within the competitive ecosystem, especially for the Chinese region this year, which will be the hosting country for the year-end Worlds Championship.

Getting the additional Worlds slot will make the competition during the LPL Split 3 much fiercer: on top of AL and BLG, the other top teams like Invictus Gaming, JD Gaming, Weibo Gaming, and Top Esports will all be eyeing that additional slot as it will represent a big opportunity also for commercial reasons.

Regarding the LCK, the additional Worlds slot will allow the mid-pack teams to fight with more hunger, hoping to snatch it. The powerhouse trio of Gen.G, T1, and Hanwha Life Esports is likely going to be there, so you gotta wonder who will be the last one… Remember that DRX Cinderella story?

After more than a year since last year’s MSI, the regional rankings haven’t really changed much, aside from the fact that EU is probably a tad weaker. That said, all teams have looked much closer than anticipated, and that could be the starting point to flip the script at Worlds.