MSI and Worlds Will Be Tougher Than Before
Recently, Riot made an official announcement regarding the regulations for MSI 2025 and Worlds 2025. Along with information about the connection between First Stand 2025 and MSI 2025 that has been around for a while (the champion of First Stand will grant their region an additional spot directly into the MSI group stage), the regulations for Worlds 2025 appear to be tougher.
Specifically, although still being the 4th seed from the two largest regions in the League of Legends scene (LCK, LPL), this Worlds will be tougher even if teams from these regions win MSI 2025. According to Riot’s regulations, the region with the MSI champion and the region with the second-best performance will get an additional 4th spot. However, the 4th seeds from the top two regions based on MSI results will have to play an additional match before entering the Swiss Stage. Meanwhile, the traditional Play-In stage has been removed.
This means that even if LPL – LCK dominate MSI (as they have since 2020), there will still be one representative from these two regions “missing” before the crucial Swiss Stage begins. This could lead to much controversy. In the last three iterations of Worlds, there has always been at least one 4th seed team that reached the finals (DRX 2022, WBG 2023, and T1 2024).
Meanwhile, after merging into the APAC region, VCS teams will have to compete fiercely with PCS, LJL… for a spot at Worlds. According to the recent LCP 2025, the likelihood of only one VCS team making it to Worlds 2025 is very high. In the worst-case scenario, VCS may be completely absent before Worlds 2025 starts.
The Most Anticipated Audience Factor at MSI or Worlds May Not Appear
Although it has shown many interesting points, Riot did not mention Fearless Draft for MSI 2025 or the upcoming Worlds 2025, leaving many viewers questioning. However, this is understandable. It is only in 2025 that Riot will truly start testing this mode across many tournaments. Therefore, this publisher needs more time to evaluate, which is normal.
Furthermore, some regions like LCK or APAC have just undergone changes. Forcing teams to adapt to too many transitions could lead to a decrease in the quality of matches. Moreover, if Fearless Draft is implemented in a context where there are significant champion power discrepancies or the meta has not truly stabilized, matches like the HLE – Gen.G final at the LCK Cup 2025, which can be described as rather boring, may recur in the future.