LoL Worlds 2025 Guide – Pick’Em, Finals, Rewards, LCS

The pinnacle of competitive League of Legends, Worlds 2025 pits the best teams from all over the world against one another for a shot at glory. In our LoL Worlds 2025 guide, you will find everything you need to know about the 2025 League of Legends World Championship, including the tournament’s format, teams, dates, venues, Pick’Ems, and more.

You can follow all Worlds 2025 matches and results on Strafe, as well as set alerts to follow your favorite teams. Check out both the Swiss Stage and the Knockout Stage so you're up to date on everything related to the tournament!

Worlds 2025 Format and Key Dates

Worlds 2025 will take place across three stages: Play-In Stage, Swiss Stage, and Knockout Stage. Here's how each stage will work:

Play-In Stage: (October 14th)

• One Bo5 match between the LCK's #4 seed and the LPL's #4 seed will decide which team joins the other 15 squads in the Worlds Swiss Stage.

Swiss Stage: (October 15th-25th)

• Initial matches will be Bo1.

• Elimination and Qualification matches are Bo3.

• No matchup repeats.

• Teams with three wins qualify to Playoffs. Teams with three losses are eliminated from Worlds 2025.

• Opening matchups will be revealed immediately after the Play-In match.

• Eight teams will qualify to Playoffs.
• Side selection goes to higher seeded team for the first game of every match.

Knockout Stage: (October 28th-November 9th)

• Single-elimination bracket.

• Teams are matched up according to their Swiss Stage records.

• All matches are Bo5.

• The Grand Finals will crown the Worlds 2025 Champions on November 9th.
• Grand Finals side selection is decided by coin toss first. The loser of each game gets side selection for the following game.

Additionally, Fearless Draft will be used across the entire event for the first time ever. Essentially, this means that champions can be picked no more than once in a series, making each game in a match attractive and unique.

Schedule – How to Follow Live

In order to make it easier for you to follow all of the action, we’ve compiled the following Worlds 2025 schedule, including starting times for each stage of competition:

• Play-In Stage: October 14th - 1 am PT / 10 am CET

• Swiss Stage:

• • Round 1: October 15th - 10 pm PT (previous day) / 7 am CET

• • Round 2: October 16th - 10 pm PT (previous day) / 7 am CET

• • Round 3: October 17th-19th - 1 am PT / 10 am CET

• • Round 4: October 22nd-24th - 1 am PT / 10 am CET

• • Round 5: October 25th - 10 pm PT (previous day)/7 am CET

• Playoffs:

• • Quarterfinals: October 28th-31st - 12 am PT / 9 am CET

• • Semifinals: November 1st-2nd - 12 am PT / 9 am CET

• • Grand Finals: November 9th - 12 am PT / 9 am CET

Worlds 2025 How to Watch

If you would like to catch Worlds 2025 live, you can do so by tuning into the official Twitch and YouTube channels for the tournament. All of the VODs for each and every game will be uploaded on the same YouTube channel.

Additionally, a vast number of co-streams will be made available so you can watch the games live along with some of the biggest names in League of Legends, such as Caedrel (English), Ibai (Spanish), and Kameto (French).

Remember that you can also follow League of Legends games in real time on Strafe.

Pick'Em for Worlds 2025

As always, the Worlds Pick'Em challenge is open for everyone looking to put their competitive League of Legends knowledge to the test and start making predictions for the tournament.

How to Join and Submit Picks

To access the Pick'Ems challenge, you can visit the official LoL Esports link for the challenge. Once there, you will need to log in with your Riot ID before you can make your picks for the Crystal Ball as well as the Pick'Ems challenge.

The Crystal Ball event challenges players to make tournament-long predictions, such as which champion you think might be picked the most throughout the tournament or which player you think will finish Worlds with the highest KDA.

As for the Pick'Em challenge, you will have the chance to make Worlds 2025 predictions and vote for which teams you think will advance through each stage of the tournament.

For this year's Worlds, the Pick'Ems comes in two stages: one for the Swiss Stage and one for the Playoffs. Each Pick'Em stage opens and closes at specific dates and times, so be sure to mark your calendars!

Swiss Stage Predictions and Crystal Ball:

• Opens: October 7th at 6 pm CET
• Closes: October 14th at 10:15 pm CET

Playoffs Predictions:

• Opens: October 25th after the final Swiss Stage match
• Closes: October 28th at 9:15 am CET

After inserting your picks, you'll be able to track your progress on the LoL Esports website so you can follow how you're doing so far in the challenge. Now let's take a look at our Worlds 2025 Pick'Ems suggestions.

Data-Driven Strategies to Improve Your Pick'Em

For years now, the LCK and LPL have dominated the Worlds stage. As the two strongest regions, the top seeds from each of these will be your best bets to come out of the Swiss Stage with a 3-0/3-1 scoreline.

Last year (2024), the LCS and LEC champions finished with a 3-2 and 2-3 scoreline, respectively, in the Swiss Stage. This means there's a high chance each of this year's champions from North America and Europe make it to the Worlds Knockout bracket with a 3-2 record.

Keep in mind that, ever since the Swiss Stage format was implemented to Worlds in 2023, exactly one LCK and one LPL team have always finished with a 3-0 record. Likewise, the LCK has won the last three consecutive Worlds titles, and represents the strongest region on the planet with the highest chance of coming away with the trophy once more.

Pick'Em Suggestions for Each Stage of Worlds 2025

For the 3-0 team, Gen.G seems like the obvious choice. The team has won back-to-back international trophies heading into Worlds 2025, and should be the favorites to win it all. Despite this, other strong LCK teams like Hanwha Life Esports and KT Rolster may well deliver a shock by breezing through this stage.

Then, we have Top Esports to make it out with a 3-1 record. The team is aggressive and full of mechanically inclined players, and should have no trouble dealing with lesser teams but could struggle against the top dogs. Any of Anyone's Legend, Hanwha Life Esports, or T1 are also good choices here.

For the 3-2 slot, things get a little tougher. A good prediction here would be a team outside of the LCK and LPL making it through. This leaves FlyQuest, G2 Esports, and CTBC Flying Oyster as the best options. While any of these could realistically finish the Swiss Stage with a 3-2 record, we're going with G2 given their good run of form and unpredictability.

Ultimately, anything can happen at Worlds! This is especially true for the Swiss Stage, given that most matches will be Bo1. In a single game of League of Legends, a match can swing in any direction, so make sure to keep that in mind!

As for the Knockout Stage, going for an LCK team to win it all will be the safest bet. Gen.G are in hot form, and look like the strongest team at the tournament. Then again, you can never count out T1, a team that always levels up in time for Worlds and arrives at this year's tournament as the back-to-back defending champions.

Worlds Finals 2025

Date, Venue, and Ticketing

Worlds 2025 will take place across three different venues and locations. The Dong’an Lake Sports Park Multifunctional Gymnasium in Chengdu, China will play the role of final arena, serving as the fitting backdrop for the final showdown of the League of Legends 2025 season. With a seating capacity of up to 18,000, this arena will deliver a stellar finale to a year of competitive action. As for the LoL Worlds 2025 finals date, it will take place on November 9th.

Eager to watch the action live in person? Here's everything you need to know about the Worlds 2025 tickets for the Grand Finals:

• Mastercard presale: Begins on September 30th, 10 am CET/1 am PT
  • Limit 2 tickets per person
  • Only available to Mastercard holders
• General sale: Begins on October 3rd, 10 am CET/1 am PT

Tickets will be priced as follows:

Worlds 2025 tickets will be available through two separate ticketing websites depending on your location.

• International tickets (outside China): Can be purchased at this link.
  • All tickets are bound to your passport number, which will be required to complete the purchase.
• Domestic tickets (China): Can be purchased at this link.
  • All tickets are bound to your resident ID number, which will be required to complete the purchase.

How to Watch the Final

The Grand Finals of Worlds 2025 can be watched live on the official Twitch and YouTube channels for the tournament, starting November 9th, at 12 am PT /9 am CET.

To be eligible for Worlds 2025 drops, however, you will need to catch the finals live on the official LoL Esports website. These drops include the "POWER UP!" emote and the "Cheerful Worlds" icon.

For viewing options in different languages, you can sort through the complete list of Worlds 2025 co-streams here.

Competitive Outlook for the Final

The last two Worlds finals have had an LCK team measure up against a squad from the LPL. It's likely that this may happen again, although with the level shown by the LCK, an all-Korean finals seems just as likely this time around.

An LCK vs LPL matchup is bound to see a complete clash of styles. Would the LCK's methodical approach to the game reign supreme yet again, or can the LPL's chaotic, teamfight-oriented playstyle power through their rivals? If we were to have an LCK vs LCK Finals, however, the story changes.

LCK teams have all but mastered map movements and control at the highest level. An all-LCK final would play out a lot like a chess match between some of the most acute minds in competitive League of Legends.

With the addition of Fearless Draft, securing important power picks early on in the series will prove incredibly important. In Patch 25.20 (Worlds 2025 patch), champions like Orianna and Sion are proving incredibly effective. Will these picks go unpunished, or will teams arrive at this stage with some surprise answers up their sleeves? Side selection will be decided by a coin toss, granting the winning team a good advantage heading into the match.

Follow the Worlds 2025 Knockout Stage on Strafe to keep up to date with the bracket.

Worlds 2025 Rewards and Drops

In-Game Worlds Pass and Cosmetics

The LoL Worlds 2025 Pass will be available with the release of Patch 25.21 on October 22, 2025, and last until the new season on Jan. 8, 2026. Here's everything you can expect to earn from this year's Worlds Pass:

Pick'Em Rewards

The LoL Worlds 2025 Pick'Em challenge will reward everyone who participates, making it a worthwhile venture for everyone! The more accurate your predictions, however, the higher your score; and the higher your score, the greater the rewards.

Here's a look at the complete list of Worlds 2025 rewards players stand to earn from this year's Pick'Ems challenge:

• Participation
  • Swiss Stage: "HONK!" Emote
  • Playoff Stage: 1x Esports Capsule
• Top 50% of players: "Group Hug!" Emote + Participation rewards
• Top 25% of players: "The Answer" Emote + everything above
• Top 5000 players: Trials of Twilight Xin Zhao skins (+Xin Zhao champion unlock) + everything above
• Perfect picks: DJ Sona skin + Elementalist Lux skin + Gun Goddess Miss Fortune skin + K/DA All Out Seraphine skin + Pulsefire Ezreal skin + Soul Fighter Samira skin + Spirit Guard Udyr skin + all of these champions unlock + everything above

Remember to lock in your picks in time! Here are the deadlines and opening times/dates for each stage of the Pick Ems

Swiss Stage Predictions and Crystal Ball:

• Opens: October 7th at 6 pm CET
• Closes: October 14th at 10:15 pm CET

Playoffs Predictions:

• Opens: October 25th after the final Swiss Stage match
• Closes: October 28th at 9:15 am CET

Broadcast Drops and Partner Campaigns

Watch Worlds 2025 matches live on the LoL Esports website for a chance to earn exclusive drops! Each stage of competition will issue different drops. These will be as follows:

• Opening Day (October 14th): "LET’S GOOO!" Emote
• Beginning of Swiss Stage (October 15th): "o7" Emote
• Second week of Swiss Stage (October 22nd): "What Just Happened?" Emote
• Quarterfinals (October 29th-31st): "Come Get It!" Emote
• Semifinals (November 1st-2nd): "I’M. NOT. SAD." Emote, "Viktor-y!" Emote
• Finals (November 9th): "POWER UP!" Emote, "Cheerful Worlds" Icon
• Trophy Ceremony (November 9th): "Buffmo" Emote

Anyone watching the games live will additionally earn an Esports 2025 Capsule whenever a Pentakill, Baron steal, Dragon Steal, or Silver Scrapes (the fifth game in a best-of-five series) happens.

Twitch accounts subscribed to any eligible LoL Esports channel will also be eligible to earn the "Fabulous!" Emote, yet another of many Worlds 2025 rewards. This does not include Prime subscriptions, however. To connect your Twitch and Riot accounts, first log on to both. Then, all you need to do is head to your Twitch profile, and find "Riot Games" under the connection tab!

LCS at Worlds 2025

Though the 2025 season saw the top-flight North American league momentarily renamed from LCS to LTA, Riot Games has announced that the LCS will be returning for the coming year. As such, we will continue to call it the LCS, the name by which it has always been known.

LCS Qualification and Seeding

When it comes to Worlds 2025, the LCS is getting a maximum of three seeds, all of which are going to the top three teams from the 2025 LTA Championship. This time around, though, the North American teams compete against their Brazilian rivals to the south for these seeds.

In the end, the two teams from the LCS at Worlds 2025 are: FlyQuest (#1 seed) and 100 Thieves (#3 seed). The Brazilian side of Vivo Keyd Stars, meanwhile, was able to come away with the #2 seed.

LCS Teams – Form and Key Players

Without a doubt, FlyQuest looks like the hottest of the Worlds 2025 LCS teams. Not only has the squad rampaged through the LTA Championship (dropping only a single game through the entire tournament), but the team is spearheaded by one of the best players in all of Western League of Legends: Kacper "Inspired" Słoma.

The Polish Jungler was crowned LTA Player of the Year ahead of Worlds, and will no doubt be hungry to prove he can compete with some of the best players from all over the world in the role.

Looking past FlyQuest, 100 Thieves' Top Laner Niship "Dhokla" Doshi stands as one of the biggest hopes for North America. Though Western solo laners haven't always been able to keep up with their Eastern counterparts on the international stage, Dhokla has been on the rise in the latter half of the year and will arrive at Worlds eager to make his region proud.

Key Matchups to Watch

Despite being a staple of competitive League of Legends, the LCS has never made it past the Semifinals at Worlds. Against sides from the LCK and LPL, teams from the LCS have often struggled to play their game, their way.

The biggest rivals of the LCS on the international stage have always been the European squads of the LEC. Against the Eastern supremacy at Worlds, the LCS and the LEC stand united. When it comes to facing one another, however, the two regions have always delivered fierce battles fueled by their rivaling fandoms.

At Worlds 2025, one of the most exciting matchups one can expect would be FlyQuest taking on G2 Esports. An LCS vs LEC matchup at Worlds always generates buzz. If the two teams facing each other were to be the champions of their respective regions, however, hype would be at an all-time high.

A FlyQuest vs G2 matchup would deliver a stellar clash in the Jungle between FLY's longtime veteran and bona fide star Kacper "Inspired" Słoma, and G2's rookie sensation Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan. Suffice it to say a matchup between North America and Europe's top dogs at Worlds 2025 would draw a lot of eyes.

Teams and Regions at Worlds 2025

The 5 regions that make up the top level of competitive League of Legends are all being represented at Worlds 2025: the LTA (composed of the former LCS, LLA, and CBLOL leagues), LEC, LPL, LCK, and LCP. Every region is given a total of 3 seeds, with the exception of the LCK and LPL, both of whom are receiving an extra seed each after becoming the two best performing regions at MSI 2025 earlier this year. This makes a total of 17 teams qualified for Worlds this year.

Here's a look at the complete lineup of teams that make up Worlds 2025:

LTA:

• FlyQuest (#1 seed)
• Vivo Keyd Stars (#2 seed)
• 100 Thieves (#3 seed)

LEC:

• G2 Esports (#1 seed)
• Movistar KOI (#2 seed)
• Fnatic (#3 seed)

LPL:

• Bilibili Gaming (#1 seed)
• Anyone's Legend (#2 seed)
• Top Esports (#3 seed)
• Invictus Gaming (#4 seed)

LCK:

• Gen.G (#1 seed)
• Hanwha Life Esports (#2 seed)
• KT Rolster (#3 seed)
• T1 (#4 seed)

LCP:

• CTBC Flying Oyster (#1 seed)
• Team Secret Whales (#2 seed)
• PSG Talon (#3 seed)

*Note: The #4 seeds from the LCK and the LPL qualify for the Play-In Stage, where they will play a best-of-5 match to decide who will be the final team headed for the Swiss Stage of Worlds 2025.

T1: The Reigning Champions

From all of the teams at Worlds 2025, T1 stand out as they will head to China to defend their crown. T1 are not your standard champions, however, they are back-to-back champions after making it all the way to the Grand Finals in the last three consecutive World Championships.

This time around, T1 have a new name in the top lane: Choi "Doran" Hyeon-jun. Roster changes or not, one can always count on T1 to make it far with a leader as decorated as Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, the undisputed greatest League of Legends player of all time.

Worlds Debutants: First Time on the Big Stage

While Worlds may feel like home to teams like T1, some organizations will be attending the biggest tournament in the game for the very first time. At Worlds 2025, these teams will be Anyone's Legend, Team Secret Whales, and Vivo Keyd Stars.

Team Secret Whales and Vivo Keyd Stars both come from regions that traditionally struggle to break into the deeper rounds, so expectations for them are understandably muted. When it comes to Anyone's Legend, though, that's a different story. The LPL team had a great run of form at the 2025 Esports World Cup, where they stood just one game away from winning it all. Now, they will look to make the most of playing on home turf as they aim for their first Worlds trophy out of their first Worlds tournament.

Patch and Meta Snapshot

The entirety of Worlds 2025 will be played on LoL Patch 25.20. With Fearless Draft in full effect, the patch and meta will play a bigger role than ever before.

What to Expect from Worlds Patch

League of Legends Patch 25.20 has set up the stage for Worlds 2025. In the update, Azir received some tuning in order to try and sort what has been one of the biggest balancing nightmares when it comes to pro play. With several tweaks that have shifted around his power budget, Azir may be at his healthiest come time for Worlds.

The Worlds Patch will see teams place heavy emphasis on the Jungle, a role that promises to be pivotal at the highest level. AD Junglers continue to dominate, and picks like Xin Zhao, Jarvan IV, Pantheon, and Wukong will be highly contested as some of the best Jungle players in the world look to get their teams ahead on these power picks.

Priority Champions

• Top Lane:
  • Ambessa
  • Rumble
  • Sion
• Jungle:
  • Xin Zhao
  • Jarvan IV
  • Wukong
• Mid Lane:
  • Taliyah
  • Orianna
  • Ryze
• Bottom Lane (ADC):
  • Corki
  • Yunara
  • Jhin
• Support:
  • Alistar
  • Rell
  • Neeko

Frequently Asked Questions

When do the Worlds 2025 Pick'Em locks open and close?

The Swiss Stage Pick'Ems open on October 7th at 6 pm CET and close on October 14th at 10:15 pm CET. The Knockout Stage Pick'Ems open on October 25th (after the final match of the Swiss Stage) and close on October 28th at 9:15 am CET.

What are the Worlds 2025 finals date and venue?

The Worlds 2025 final will take place at the Dong'an Lake Sports Park Multifunctional Gymnasium in Chengdu, China, on November 9th.

How many LCS teams are at Worlds 2025 and how do they qualify?

A maximum of three LCS teams can qualify to Worlds 2025. The top three teams from the 2025 LTA Championship will represent the region at Worlds.

How do I get Twitch/YouTube drops during Worlds?

To earn Twitch drops during Worlds 2025, link your Twitch and Riot accounts, and then watch tournament matches live for a chance to earn rewards.

Where can I watch Worlds 2025 live and catch VODs?

You can watch all of the Worlds 2025 action live on the official Twitch and YouTube channels for the tournament. All VODs will be uploaded on that same YouTube channel.

How does side selection work in Bo5 finals?

A coin toss will decide who gets side selection first. From then on, the loser of each game gets side selection for the following game.

What rewards can I earn from the Worlds 2025 Pass and from Pick’Em?

You can earn a wide variety of rewards from both the Pass and Pick'Em at Worlds 2025, including in-game emotes, icons, and skins. Players who achieve perfect Pick'Ems selections will earn all Ultimate skins in League of Legends.

Follow Worlds 2025 on Strafe!

When it comes to Worlds 2025, Strafe has got you covered. You can follow each and every step of the competition, from the Play-Ins to the Swiss Stage and the Knockout Stage. Make sure to set alerts so you don't miss a single game from your favorite teams.

Ready to put your knowledge of competitive League of Legends to the test? Amplify your esports experience by making predictions on the most exciting matches, or following the best betting odds.

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Featured image source: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games