With roughly one month remaining before the S15 World Championship, the five major qualified regions have started their playoffs. LEC’s G2 defeated KC in a 3-1 comeback during the first playoff round, moving on to the winners’ final. Having secured at least a top-three result, G2 has locked in their Worlds spot, and no matter how the following matches go, they will be Europe’s third seed at worst.

G2’s roster for the third split remains unchanged, but their strength has significantly improved compared to the previous two splits. During the group stage, G2 achieved a perfect record with four consecutive big wins and eight small wins. They then convincingly defeated KC in the playoffs. After a year of synergy, this lineup seems to have reached its peak. The question now is whether G2 can maintain competitiveness against top LPL and LCK teams at Worlds.

FLY and VKS advance to Worlds

Just as Europe’s G2 secured their Worlds spot, the LTA North and South American playoffs concluded. South America’s VSK swept RED 3-0 in the finals to qualify for Worlds. Meanwhile, North America’s FLY defeated 100T 3-1 in their finals to claim the championship and a Worlds berth. Next, the North and South American regions will enter a mixed competition to fight for the final spot and determine Worlds seedings.

With FLY’s qualification, six teams worldwide have confirmed their participation at Worlds. These include LCK’s GEN, who after winning MSI and securing a playoff spot in the third split, have directly qualified for Worlds. The LCP region’s two all-Chinese rosters, PSG and CFO, also advanced last week. Together with the previously mentioned teams, there are six confirmed teams so far, though seed rankings remain undecided.

T1 selects DK as their playoff opponent

The LCK regional qualifiers have concluded, with DK sweeping NS 3-0 to claim the last playoff spot. As the third seed in the legendary group, T1 has the right to choose their playoff opponent. After discussions, T1 ultimately picked DK for the first playoff round. Meanwhile, BFX, who also came through the qualifiers, paired with KT. The playoffs officially begin on the 10th.

After making the playoffs, Xu "许哥" still has the chance to play at least two best-of-five series. This year, the LCK format changed by removing the bubble match, so the final playoff rankings will determine Worlds seedings. For DK to qualify for Worlds, they must reach at least the semifinals. Judging by current form, Xu might struggle; T1 is likely too strong, and dropping to the losers’ bracket to face BFX won’t guarantee a win either. DK’s situation looks precarious.

BLG secures LPL bubble spot

The LPL playoffs kicked off on the last matchday, with BLG coming back from a 1-2 deficit to defeat JDG 3-2 and advance to the top six. According to LPL Worlds points rules, securing a top-six finish in the third split guarantees 40 points. Adding points from the previous two splits, BLG has accumulated 80 points, bringing their total to 120 points, temporarily surpassing AL to top the LPL Worlds points leaderboard.

With 120 points, BLG becomes the first LPL team to lock in a bubble spot. Currently, eight teams are competing for the bubble slot. WE is fixed at 30 points, and among the remaining seven teams, even those eliminated in the first round cannot surpass BLG’s points. Thus, BLG is guaranteed a top-six Worlds points finish and has secured bubble qualification early. Even if they lose all subsequent matches, they can still compete for the 3rd or 4th seed.

Conclusion:

The LTA region still has one spot left to be decided through the upcoming North and South American championship. In this region, only FLY is a team worth watching; other teams seem unlikely to make a deep Worlds run. Since T1 chose DK as their opponent, the first playoff round should be stable for T1. In the second round, GEN will likely avoid T1, while Hanwha will probably face T1 again.

So, what do you think? Can DK beat T1?

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