T1 have finally punched their ticket to the Swiss Stage, while Invictus Gaming bow out early from the competition.
The League of Legends (LoL) World Championship 2025 has kicked off in Beijing with a rare high-stakes clash between two storied teams.
Featuring seven World Championships and three Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) champions between the two rosters, LoL Champions Korea (LCK) fourth seed and LoL’s most decorated team, 
T1, faced off against LoL Pro League (LPL) fourth seed, 
Invictus Gaming (IG), in a best-of-five series with qualification to the Swiss Stage on the line. In the end, it was T1 who survived, after defeating IG 3-1.
Here’s how T1 defeated Invictus Gaming
In the first game, both T1 and IG were on equal footing from the laning phase until the midgame. However, T1 were able to cleverly maneuvre their way to slowly building a lead and stealing objectives from IG.
Eventually, the South Korean powerhouse came out on top, allowing them to overpower IG and destroy the Nexus after a 34- minute encounter and a 15-9 kill lead.
In the second game, IG fought back, earning a comfortable lead through the midgame through aggressive plays and scrappy team fights. IG were able to snowball their lead and dominate the map, giving T1 no room for a comeback.
After a 37-minute encounter and a 14,000 gold lead, IG destroyed T1’s Nexus to win the second game.
In the third game, T1 reset and seized control early, relentlessly pressuring IG across the map. Yet, IG refused to fold, clawing back with clutch objective steals to stall the gold gap and capitalising on 
Chen “GALA” Wei's Smolder for key kills.
Despite IG’s resilience, T1 stayed composed and methodical, shutting down every attempt at a comeback, with 
Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong raking in plenty of kills of the team. After a gruelling 35-minute showdown that ended 27–11 in kills, T1 smashed IG’s Nexus to claim Game 3 and move to match point.
The fourth game opened on even footing, with IG edging out an early gold lead, with great plays from Kang “TheShy” Seung-Iok. But once the fights broke out, T1 quickly turned the tides—dominating every skirmish and team fight, with Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon coming up clutch time and again while somehow staying alive through the chaos.
From there, the South Korean giants took full control of the Rift, building an insurmountable gold lead and crushing IG’s hopes of a comeback. After a furious 27-minute brawl that ended 27–13 in kills, T1 shattered IG’s Nexus to close out the fourth game and secure the series victory.
With their win T1 move on to the Swiss Stage where they will join fifteen other teams in a quest to raise the Summoner's Cup. Meanwhile, Invictus Gaming bow out of the competition in 17th place, taking home US$75,000 in consolation.
