For some, this Worlds is their last dance. For others, it’s a continuation of their legacy.
Worlds 2025 is in full swing now that all 16 teams are locked in for the next four weeks, ready to fight for the Summoner’s Cup.
Every team and pro player is fighting for the chance to carve their names into League of Legends history. However, some teams have a little extra motivation in them this year. So these are our five teams that we’re definitely watching out for in Worlds 2025.
Hanwha Life Esports
HLE has had an impressive rise throughout the ranks in LCK and is now at a point where they’re the favorites to win Worlds 2025. That’s not why they’re on the list, however, as two important stories is happening behind HLE’s Worlds run.
The first is whether or not Top Laner Choi “Zeus” Woo-je can break free from the shadow of T1. His choice to leave the legendary team is still seen as controversial to this day, and he’s out to prove that he can excel even without the backing of one of the most successful esports organizations in history.
The other is that this will be Jungler Han “Peanut” Wang-ho’s last ride before leaving for mandatory military service. Peanut is seen by many as a “crownless king,” and he’s aiming to make his last season unforgettable by raising the Summoner’s Cup.
CTBC Flying Oyster
Don’t let their silly name fool you, as the Oysters have quietly crept up the international rankings this year. In fact, they’re the only team to have appeared in all three of 2025’s major League of Legends international tournaments.
They made it to third during First Stand and then sixth in the Mids-Season Invitational, where the competition is noticeably more fierce. Does this plucky Taiwanese team have what it takes to pull the biggest upsets in Worlds 2025?
G2 Esports
It’s no secret that G2 are the undisputed kings of EMEA, but that has rarely translated into the international stage. Even with multiple first-place finishes in the LEC, their best showing was second place in Worlds 2019. And even then, that was a 0-3 stomp against China’s FunPlus Phoenix.
Worlds 2025 is G2’s moment to really show that they’re not just big fish in a small pond. Their LEC run this season has been their best yet, and that might be the momentum they need to really make a mark this year.
PSG Talon
PSG may not be the best team in the Pacific, but boy are they consistent. No one’s expecting them to win Worlds 2025, but you can’t count them out either. They’ve also been mainstays in international League of Legends events, so it’s almost hard to imagine Worlds without them.
Speaking of mainstays, we need to give special mention to Huang “Maple” Yi-tang. The man retired late last year only to jump back in with PSG in the latter third of the season. With that, he’s become the player with the second most Worlds appearances, proving that the man’s still got it.
T1
Dread from it, run from it, but T1 are inevitable. The five-time world champions are aiming for a three-peat — an achievement that was denied from them all the way back in 2017.
Also, a gentle reminder that T1 has never finished worse than fourth whenever they’ve made it to Worlds. Plus, living legend Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok has the most Worlds appearances at 10 and has (currently) won five of them. I think it’s safe to say that even though they’re entering Worlds 2025 as the LCK’s fourth seed, T1 are still heavy favorites to win the whole thing.
Banner photos by Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games.