LPL Split 3 Playoffs Bracket Revealed

The final stage of the 2025 LPL season is here. With the end of the group phase and the Knights Rivals Play-In, teams have selected their opponent for the first round of the LPL Split 3 Playoffs. Who will be going fighting for the title and head to Worlds to play in front of the home crowd? Here’s our breakdown.

LPL Split 3 Playoffs – 8 teams, 1 champion

The Knight Rivals Play-in already offered some major drama. While Weibo Gaming (WBG) and JD Gaming (JDG) quickly swept their respective opponents UP and LGD, Team WE and FunPlus Phoenix fell to the hands of EDward Gaming and Ninjas in Pyjamas, giving them the chance now to play for a Worlds slot.

According to the format, the top four teams from Group Ascend (TES, IG, BLG, AL) had the power to choose their round one opponents. The teams respectively chose:

• TES – NIP
• IG – EDG
• BLG – JDG
• AL – WBG

Therefore, determining the initial round 1 matchups. With the same format as the previous LPL split 2, the eight teams will have to go through a double-elimination bracket, with the winner locking in the first seed for the League of Legends World Championship.

Unlike other major regions where the other slots are decided by the playoffs’ standings, the LPL still uses championship points to determine the second seed, with the third and fourth seed determined through the Regional Finals. The 3rd to 5th ranked teams in championship points (that haven’t already qualified for Worlds) will be playing in a single elimination King of the Hill Bracket, with seeding based on the total championship points. Currently, AL is at the top with 115 points, followed by BLG at 90, IG at 65, and TES with 50 points.

Which teams are expected to fight for the title?

The LPL Split 3 has been a split of chaos. After AL and BLG represented the region at the Mid-Season Invitational and the Esports World Cup, the two teams struggled to stay at the top of the league at the start of the third split. Both teams showed up with more volatile performances, which partially explains why they only finished 3rd and 4th in the group stage standings. Even though both teams are expected to make a deep run, I doubt the two squads can turn it around and take the crown.

In their stead, we saw Top Esports and Invictus Gaming in much more convincing form. It’s not that surprising to see TES perform well domestically, as they did that in the first part of the season. Considering their form, they should be one of the favorites to fight for the title.

IG has also been on the rise lately, ever since the team brought in their new jungler, Wei. Although the gameplay is not yet polished, the team has been excelling in the scaling meta, often winning games and series, but frequently falling severely behind in game state and gold. Their resilience and teamfighting potential might be the two crucial factors that turn them into title contenders.

TheShy 🐐 #LeagueOfLegends pic.twitter.com/h5FjdN7cjG

— LPL (@lplenglish) August 25, 2025

As for the other contenders, WBG and JDG might be dark horses in the LPL Split 3 Playoffs, although both struggled with volatile gameplay over the past weeks. NIP and EDG have barely beaten the two worst teams from Group Ascend, so their chances of getting through the first round are highly unlikely.

For more League of Legends content, check out our YouTube channel for the latest interviews.