This is Top Esports' first time to qualify for the Worlds semifinals in five years.
The League of Legends (LoL) World Championship 2025 Quarterfinals opened with a high-stakes clash between Europe’s best and China's third seed, as 
G2 Esports went head-to-head with 
Top Esports. In the end, it was Top Esports who came out victorious, taking the series 3-1 to book their place in the semifinals for the first time in five years.
From Swiss Stage survivors to semifinal contenders
Top Esports entered the tournament as the LoL Pro League's (LPL) third seed and made their presence known early in the Swiss Stage. They started strong by defeating LoL European Championship (LEC) champions G2 Esports in the first round and followed it up with another win against League of the Americas (LTA) third seed, 
100 Thieves, in the second.
Their run hit a setback in the middle rounds when they lost 0-2 to 
KT Rolster in the third and fell again 0-2 to 
Gen.G in the fourth. Facing elimination, Top Esports stepped up in the fifth round to take on the LPL’s first seed, 
Bilibili Gaming (BLG), and pulled off a 2-1 revenge victory to secure their place in the Knockout Stage.
Meanwhile, G2 Esports made headlines in Week 2 of the Swiss Stage, qualifying for the Knockout Stage for the first time in five years. Their journey began with a loss to Top Esports but they quickly bounced back with a dominant win over fellow European representatives 
Movistar KOI in Round 2. In Round 3, G2 finally ended their losing streak against BLG, a team that had beaten them in past international tournaments, before closing out their Swiss campaign with a 2-1 triumph over LTA champions 
FlyQuest to advance to the Quarterfinals.
How Top Esports defeated G2 Esports
In the opening game, Top Esports established control early on. Despite G2 finding a few kills in team fights and side skirmishes, TES quickly took over the Rift, with a masterful Akali from 
Jian “Creme” Lin being instrumental in starting the snowball. After a 30-minute clash that ended with a 23-6 kill lead, TES shattered G2’s Nexus to claim the first game.
The second game swung in favour of G2, who seized control from the start. Their Lucian and Bard combination proved difficult for TES to handle, and although 
Seo “Kanavi”Jin-hyeok and Bai “369” Jia-Hao fought back with some strong plays, G2 maintained their grip by taking nearly every map objective. After 32 minutes, G2 destroyed the TES Nexus with a 22-11 kill lead to even the series.
Game three took on a slower pace, with both teams trading evenly until the late game. A crucial fight in the blue side jungle that spilled into the river turned the tide when 369’s Aatrox secured a triple kill, allowing TES to claim both the Ocean Soul and Baron buff. With those buffs in hand, TES pushed down mid and ended the game in 29 minutes with a 14-4 kill score, reaching match point.
In the fourth game, G2 looked determined to fight back and found some early advantages, but Kanavi made the play of the series by stealing Atakhan with just 7 HP remaining. That single moment gave TES the momentum they needed to seize control and mount a lead with kills from Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo. Kanavi continued to shine, shutting down G2’s attempted flanks and leading the charge as TES closed out the game in 29 minutes to secure the series win.
With the 3-1 victory, Top Esports now advance to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the Quarterfinals match between T1 and Anyone’s Legend. Kanavi was named player of the series for his clutch plays that turned the tide in multiple games.
G2 Esports end their Worlds 2025 run in 5th to 8th place and take home 300,000 US dollars in prize money.
