KT shine bright against TES to secure a spot in the LoL Worlds 2025 Playoffs

Welcome to the League of Legends (LoL) Worlds 2025 Swiss Stage, where KT Rolster and Top Esports (TES) clash in a high-stakes showdown for the first ticket to the Playoffs. The undefeated kings of their respective regions are set to deliver a true spectacle of skill on the international stage. The road to the Playoffs begins here, and only one team will emerge victorious.

The loser will still have a chance to qualify for the next stage, dropping to the 2–1 bracket, where they’ll face new challenges in their pursuit of a spot at the LoL Worlds 2025.

As always, fans can catch all the action live on the official Riot Games broadcast across Twitch and YouTube. Those who prefer a more personal touch can tune in to one of the official co-streams.

Otherwise, we’ll be here to bring you live recaps. You can also read a deep analysis of the best moments, standout players, and highlight plays from the match.

You can find all the match schedules on the official esports.gg LoL Worlds 2025 hub. You'll also be able to check out the results, locations, and more.

Saying that people expected these two teams to be sitting at 2–0 would be far from the truth. In the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), KT were never considered favorites, not in a region dominated by Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports, and T1.

Yet, they’ve defied expectations, coming within reach of the Playoffs stage after taking down Movistar KOI and Team Secret Whales. The drafts have certainly worked in their favor, but KT has also delivered entertaining, high-quality games. But can they defeat the League of Legends Pro League (LPL)?

The LPL’s second seed has made it clear that they’re not here just to participate. After taking down G2 Esports and 100 Thieves, the LPL runner-ups are determined to cement their presence at Worlds 2025, hosted on home soil. Playing in front of their fans brings a different kind of energy, putting TES in a favorable position crowd-wise. Still, they’ll need much more than home support to overcome a confident KT squad.

The winning team will qualify for the playoff stage, while the losing team will still have a chance in the 2-1 bracket. Only one team can secure the top spot and move one step closer to winning the LoL Worlds 2025 trophy.

Return to this section for highlights and analysis of the game after the end of the series.

KT might not be the best Korean team mechanically, but you will always have fun watching their matches. At the beginning of the game, TES got an early advantage with some initial kills, but the team fights were not even close. KT was way more coordinated, and the champions overall were dealing way more damage than the TES ones.

Even though Kanavi managed to hold his ground with three completed items on Ambessa, it wasn’t enough to overcome a fed Rumble and Corki. After losing control over the Drake, Athakan, and Baron, TES had no real options left to fight back. With this defeat, Jarvan IV’s record worsens to 0–9 overall, a clear sign that the pick continues to struggle on the Worlds 2025 stage.

Breaking down the match, several key mistakes proved costly for TES. Multiple Annie ultimates were wasted on Wukong’s clone, Kai’Sa struggled to find safe openings in teamfights, and Jarvan IV was often zoned out and unable to engage effectively. Combined with KT’s superior team coordination and scaling advantage, these errors sealed TES’s fate, leaving them just one loss away from dropping out of contention for the top Playoffs spot at LoL Worlds 2025.

When looking at the draft, TES appeared to have the upper hand against KT. On paper, it was hard to imagine KT’s composition finding a win, yet they proved everyone wrong. TES started strong, securing an early kill off a risky dive that nearly backfired, but from that point on, KT completely took over the teamfights.

Peter was phenomenal with his engages. The rookie support fresh out of Challengers delivered a world-class performance, showing composure and precision beyond his experience. KT’s coordination was flawless, and their control over objectives set the pace of the game. Allowing deokdam to scale and eventually secure a quadra kill sealed the deal, as KT closed out the match in under 30 minutes.

With this dominant victory, KT Rolster becomes the first team to qualify for the LoL Worlds 2025 Playoffs!

That's all for now. Stick around for more League of Legends news, guides, and updates on esports.