T1 heads to Worlds 2025 as the 4th seed, which poses many risks
In 2025, only 2 regions will have a full quota of 4 slots for Worlds, namely the LCK and LPL. However, under Riot’s new format, the 4th seeds from these two regions will compete against each other for the only remaining spot in the group stage. The losing team will have to end their 2025 Worlds journey after just one BO5 match. Therefore, every region will give their all. The only issue is that the 4th seed from the LCK this year is T1.
T1 is the first reigning Worlds champion to participate in this tournament as the 4th seed.
In Worlds tournaments from 2022 onwards, T1 has often had a slow start in their first matches, even struggling at times. In fact, in Round 1 of last year’s Worlds, T1 was defeated by TES in a BO1, leading many viewers to believe that T1 would not be able to defend their championship.
However, with the necessity of participating in the Play-In stage, if T1 continues their “habit” of slow adaptation, the possibility of this team facing significant difficulties, even being eliminated early, is entirely plausible. Among the 4 remaining teams in the LPL competing for the 3rd and 4th seed spots in this region, including IG, TES, WBG, and JDG, any opponent could pose a challenge to T1 if the LCK representative continues their fluctuating performance as seen recently.
The fact that T1 must attend Worlds as the 4th seed worries many of the team’s fans.
T1 is also the first Worlds champion to achieve an “unfortunate record”
Accordingly, T1 becomes the first reigning champion in League of Legends history to attend Worlds as the 4th seed for two consecutive years and also has to compete in the regional qualifiers. If T1 is defeated and eliminated early, they will also be the first reigning Worlds champion to be knocked out of the largest international tournament in League of Legends after just one match.
Risky, but T1 still has a chance if they regroup and focus more on their gameplay.
And that scenario is probably something no one wishes for, especially since T1 in 2025, according to many evaluations, has improved significantly compared to last year.