The highly anticipated Swiss Stage of the $5 million League of Legends 2025 World Championship commenced on Wednesday in Beijing, featuring a thrilling lineup of eight Round 1 matches.
In the opening matches, Secret Whales showcased their prowess by overcoming Keyd Stars in just 33 minutes while competing on the blue side. CTBC Flying Oyster also secured a decisive victory against Fnatic, triumphing in 32 minutes. KT Rolster matched Secret Whales’ performance with a 33-minute win against KOI. Furthermore, 100 Thieves managed a quick 31-minute victory over Bilibili Gaming while playing on the red side. T1 took down FlyQuest in a slightly longer encounter, lasting 34 minutes. Anyone’s Legend had a more extended battle, defeating Hanwha Life in 41 minutes. Top Esports enjoyed a comfortable win against G2 Esports in 32 minutes, and Gen.G made a strong start with a rapid 27-minute victory over PSG Talon, setting the tone for the tournament.
The structure of the Swiss Stage is designed to heighten the competition, featuring five rounds where teams need to secure three wins to advance to the Knockout Stage. Conversely, teams that accumulate three losses will face elimination. All matches are contested in a best-of-one format, with the exception of elimination and advancement matches, which follow a best-of-three format.
The top eight teams will move forward to the Knockout Stage, a single-elimination bracket that kicks off on October 28, where all matches will be played in a best-of-five format. The grand final, scheduled for November 9, promises to be a dramatic showdown that will award a staggering $1 million to the winning team, with the runner-up walking away with $800,000.
Looking ahead, Thursday’s matches in Round 2 will feature several high-stakes contests, including Secret Whales facing off against KT Rolster and Top Esports going against 100 Thieves. Concurrently, teams looking to recover from initial losses will compete in lower bracket matchups, including FlyQuest battling Keyd Stars and G2 Esports taking on KOI.
As the excitement builds, fans eagerly await how these teams will navigate the challenges ahead in pursuit of the championship title.