T1 have turned off the lights on the LPL’s last hope, Top Esports, convincingly defeating them by 3-0 to secure a spot in their fourth consecutive League of Legends Worlds final.
Both teams started with strong macro plays, securing objectives for their sides but focusing on scaling in the traditional Korean style of League. While TES focused on getting their Akali ahead, Faker’s Orianna kept finding plays to shut the Chinese squad down. T1’s objective control was uncontested, which made for a slow but steady first match win.
Top Esports tried to contest objectives in the second game, but Gumayusi’s Kai’Sa tore through the backline, leaving JackeyLove with little room to influence the match. With their AD carry neutralized, T1 controlled the tempo and delivered a dominant performance to move one step closer to the series victory. Even though 369’s Ambessa had a few moments to shine, it wasn’t enough to stop T1’s momentum.
The Chinese team came out swinging to take down T1 in the do-or-die match. While they secured an early lead, disciplined T1 focused on objectives and played their teamfights according to their composition to leverage their powers and make their way to the Worlds 2025 finals.
In the post-match interview, Doran, who is set to play in his first-ever Worlds final, reflected on how much his resilience has grown over the season. “In the past, I used to get so stressed out by every single result of each game and I didn’t really have a lot of time to focus on what’s next,” he said. “But after joining T1, I was able to see how mentally strong my teammates are and I was able to learn so much from them. With that, I was able to make Worlds finals.”
With this victory, T1 remain undefeated against LPL teams in best-of-five series at Worlds, extending their record to 13–0. At Worlds 2025 alone, they have eliminated three LPL contenders: Invictus Gaming, Anybody’s Legend, and Top Esports. The Korean squad started their run as Korea’s last seed at the tournament from the Play-In stage.
T1 successfully defended their Worlds title last year, and now they have a chance to complete an unprecedented three-peat, a feat never before achieved in League history. Their final challenge awaits in Chengdu, China, where they will face KT Rolster on Nov. 9, in the highly anticipated Telecom War, with the Summoner’s Cup on the line.
