T1 vs 100T – Is it Joever for the Thieves? – Worlds 2025 Swiss Stage Preview

Who could’ve predicted to see T1 go up against 100T in the elimination series of the Swiss stage at Worlds 2025? Yet, here we are. Is this the real last dance for the North American squad or will they make the impossible feat and send home the 2024 world champions? Find out what can happen in our match preview.

T1 – The best 1-2 team?

Not many expected to see T1 in the 1-2 bracket and on the brink of elimination, but the reality is harsh: T1 hasn’t looked that great at Worlds so far.

While the team is far from being bottom-pack, the level shown in the first three rounds of Swiss stage hasn’t been up to the standards T1 has typically shown at previous editions. Despite their win against FlyQuest at the start, their losses to CFO and Gen.G were a clear warning sign for them.

taken after T1 vs GEN pic.twitter.com/WxOEWdBPt1

— Tim (@unrankedtoTim) October 20, 2025

Aside from Doran, who has struggled so far, T1 is also suffering from several draft issues. It seems like their meta read in the first week wasn’t optimal. The team has been consistently looking to draft team compositions that take advantage of their early skirmishing to accelerate the game, using Oner and Keria as the proactive duo, but this has been proven to go against the general meta that seems to favor mid-game teamfight comps that heavily revolve around strong frontlines.

100Thieves – One Last Dance?

In this department, 100Thieves’ preparation seemed a lot more aligned with the optimal meta read. This is why the team was able to upset BLG in their opener, but were later dismantled by Top Esports and Hanwha Life Esports.

It’s undeniable that there is a major gap in skills between the individual players, and that the only two who have shown the potential to contest are the jungle mid duo of River and Quid. Dhokla can arguably match Doran in the top lane if he can get a favorable matchup and is able to impact the game through the skirmishes and fights.

Predictions – Will the miracle happen?

Overall, however, this series is still heavily in T1’s favor. Despite T1’s poor drafting in the first week, they are typically better when they have time to prepare and re-assess their meta read better. Paired with the gap in individual skills across most roles, only a generational underperformance by the current world champions would lead to a loss.

Good morning 🐐 pic.twitter.com/rmqYe0Alf1

— Dhokla (@dhoklalol) October 23, 2025

There is a chance 100T can get away with one win in the best-of-three, but winning two games seems highly unlikely, especially if they consistently fall behind early on. In the current meta, the key period of a game is the 15th to 25th minute mark, when teams start to contest the third drake and Atakhan. If 100 Thieves get a good draft on their hands, there is a chance to see the upset.

For T1, a 2-0 victory should be the expected outcome. Even losing one game would probably be considered a warning result since several strong teams are expected to be placed in the 2-2 bracket. The Korean team cannot go agaisnt FlyQuest and CFO since they faced them in previous rounds so their opponent will be one between Top Esports (if they lose against Gen.G), the winner between MKOI and TSW, and the winner of the BLG and VKS series.