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Esports
Take a look back at T1's biggest esports moments of 2025
We look back on T1’s top moments of the year, from qualifying for Worlds at the last moment, to lifting the Summoner's Cup for a record sixth time and putting on a show at Red Bull League of Its Own.
2025 has been a huge year for South Korean esports outfit, T1. Records were broken, accolades were gained and the history books will show that this year was a big year for the most successful team in League of Legends history. It didn't start off with a bang, however, but as the team overcame their struggles, Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok and T1 were able to make 2025 truly their year. Here's the highlight reel.
01
A rocky start
LoL Park was home to T1's tricky start to the year
© League of Legends Champions Korea/Riot Games
T1's 2025 journey did not start off with a trophy. The LCK Cup, which kicked off the start of the LCK (League of Legends Champions Korea) season in January, instead went to Hanwha Life. Despite a strong start, topping their group, T1 fell to the overall winners in the knockout stage, in a hardfought, nail-biting best-of-five series that went right down to the final game. T1 would miss out on First Stand 2025, the first international tournament of the year as a result, but as we know, the best was yet to come.
Still, T1 would fight back at the start of the main season, with the team placing third overall during the first half – earning a place at the LCK's Road to MSI (Mid-Season Invitational) stage, where they would compete to determine who would represent the LCK. T1 won 11 games, and lost seven – just below Gen.G, who had a flawless start, and Hanwha Life Esports. Faker and co. showed off their strength, but there was still plenty of room for improvement.
In May, Faker pulled off his second-ever pentakill, almost 10 years after his first. He also became the first player to compete in 1,000 LCK games, marking it with a win over KT Rolster, and at that point in time, he had also won 667 games and lost 333 – an incredible win-loss ratio – testament to Faker's longevity, and the skill and passion of his team.
After rolling through KT Rolster during the Road to MSI in June, this time T1 dominated Hanwha Life 3-0, taking revenge for the LCK Cup and locking in a MSI invite as the second place finisher.
02
Up on the international stage
MSI marked T1's first international event of the year
© Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
In July, the organisation's talisman and longest serving player – the legendary Unkillable Demon King – Faker re-upped his contract, taking him right up until 2029 as a key part of T1. Faker has been a part of the organisation for 11 years, and with this contract extension, Faker will no doubt be one of the world's longest serving esports players of all time.
The Mid-Season Invitational also beckoned in July, this time in Canada: the first tournament of 2025 that T1 would compete against international teams. After making their way through the APAC region's CTBC Flying Oyster and China's Billibilli Gaming, it came down to a Korea vs. Korea Round 4: Gen.G stood in their way.
Gen.G took the first game in a close 3-2 finish, prompting T1 to drop down to the Lower Bracket Final and take on China's Anyone's Legend to earn a place in the Grand Final. And after a close 3-2 series win, T1 were on the cards for a rematch against Gen.G. With each team trading rounds in the Grand Final, and T1 taking the upper hand, Gen.G managed to pull back the final game, ending T1's MSI journey in second place. T1 still had yet to earn a trophy this year, but there was still time – and with Gen.G's win, that meant that the LCK had won a fourth-seed slot at this year's Worlds.
Following the Mid-Season Invitational, the second edition of the Esports World Cup took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where T1 had qualified for the League of Legends competition as the reigning champion. With a hard-fought competition, they placed third, falling to Chinese team Anyone's Legend, but triumphing over Europe's G2 Esports in the third-place decider game in late July. The search for glory continued.
03
Domestic challenges
T1 faced struggles in the LCK
© League of Legends Champions Korea/Riot Games
Back to the LCK regular season, T1 had arrived in fighting form, taking down most of the opposition, with just losses to Gen.G and KT Rolster. With a third-place finish in their group, T1 qualified for the LCK Season Playoffs in September – and once again would struggle against Gen.G and Hanwha Life.
With a fourth-place-overall finish, T1 had qualified for the World Championship – but for the Play-In stage, which meant one more hurdle for them to face before they would be able to compete in their 10th Worlds.
As the LCK's fourth seed, the odds were stacked against them – but never count out Faker and co. With back-to-back Summoner's Cup trophies behind them, T1 were still aiming high. The Play-In stage beckoned in Beijing, China, and only China's Invictus Gaming stood in their way.
04
Worlds beckons
T1 bested Invictus Gaming to make it to the Worlds 2025 Swiss Stage
© Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
The Play-In stage saw T1 take on Invictus Gaming, who no doubt had the home-field advantage. That wouldn't last long, as Kang 'TheShy' Seung-lok's side would fall to T1 with a 3-1 loss – and with that, T1 locked in their place into the World Championship, competing in their 10th competition.
The Swiss Stage of the competition kicked off the festivities, where 16 teams compete in five rounds – the teams that hit three wins advance to the knockout stage, while three losses sees you bow out. T1 struck their first opponents, North America's FlyQuest, in a straightforward victory, which saw them then take on the APAC region's CTBC Flying Oyster – this time losing to the Taiwanese team. In Round Three, T1 would face their LCK nemesis, Gen.G, a match which ended in defeat. On the brink of being knocked out of the Swiss Stage, T1 then faced North America's 100 Thieves in their final Worlds appearance in a best of three game, which the LCK side promptly shut down 2-0.
Out of six teams to make it all the way to the final round of the Swiss Stage, T1 had one final game to prove their mettle, and lock in a place in the knockout stage. The LEC's Movistar KOI stood in their way, but a swift 2-0 win took T1 into the tensest part of the competition, as they moved forward as the final team to earn their place in the knockout stage.
05
Knock 'em out
The stage was set for T1's quarter-final match against Anyone's Legend
© Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
T1's first game in the knockout stage quarter-finals was already looking fraught: China's Anyone's Legend had pulled off a flawless start to their Worlds campaign, and T1 had lost to AL on the international stage at this year's MSI. T1 took the first game with a dominant display, with bot laner Lee 'Gumayusi' Min-hyeong going deathless on Varus, picking up seven kills – but AL responded by taking the next two games, and putting T1 on game point. With their backs against the wall at the first knockout stage, T1 managed to pull off back-to-back wins to comeback and finish off the series, and knock Anyone's Legend out of the competition.
China's third seed, Top Esports, were next in-line for T1 to topple, and after the Chinese team had dispatched Europe's G2 Esports, they looked in prime shape. T1, however, got into the swing of things quickly and ended up dominating their opponents, taking the series with a straight 3-0 sweep to lock in a grand final match-up against KT Rolster. This all-LCK Grand Final had seen KT Rolster in the form of their life, dispatching CTBC Flying Oyster and Gen.G in strong showings of strength, making this year's grand final truly one for the ages.
Set against the backdrop of Chengdu, China, Faker was ready for his eighth grand final appearance, while it was the fourth for his team-mates, Moon 'Oner' Hyeon-jun, Gumayusi and Ryu 'Keria' Min-seok, and the first for Choi 'Doran' Hyeon-jun. T1 looked ready to take on KT Rolster, and as the first game kicked off, it looked like it could go either way.
06
On the brink
A truly nail-biting Grand Final
© Yicun Liu/Riot Games
KT opened the first game with an aggressive start, pulling First Blood, but eventually lost their initial lead to T1, who capitalised in key team fights and objectives throughout the rest of the game – and once they got the lead, KT Rolster couldn't respond.
Game two opened similarly, but this time KT Rolster were able to hold on to their lead – and were able to counter T1's plays, taking the Baron buff twice, and securing twice as many drakes as their opponents, controlling the map and closing out the game to tie the series.
The third game did not go well for T1. KT Rolster closed out a bloodbath in 37 minutes, barely letting their opponents respond as they racked up 23 kills to T1's mere nine. KT showed they had the edge in this game, and following its conclusion, were 2-1 up, putting them not just on game point, but championship point. T1 had to pull it back to have any chance of taking the trophy home.
And that they did: T1 pulled out the stops in game four, ending it quickly in just 29 minutes – going 17 kills up to KT Rolster's eight. T1 didn't put a foot wrong here, as while KT Rolster were winning the early fights, they were unable to grab objectives, all thanks to T1's Oner. The jungler was able to sneak in and smite his way to pinching key drakes for his team, leaving KT Rolster unable to respond. And as the buffs rolled in, the teamfights went into T1's favour, and the kills came rolling in – and as they smashed the enemy's Nexus, the series was all tied up at 2-2.
Game five would decide it all. The tension was palpable. And each team gave it their all. T1 drew first blood swiftly, and the momentum continued as each team attacked each other in quick succession. Both sides were able to grab objectives, making it fairly even – but then T1 broke the tension as Gumayusi kicked off, taking down Atakhan, and as his teammates joined him to secure the objective, they were able to wipe out the whole KT Rolster squad, and take the advantage. With a substantial lead, T1 were able to clear out more drakes, pick up a Baron buff, and take the fight to KT Rolster's base – and with winning teamfights, T1 were able to close out the entire game and the series.
With that, T1 became back-to-back-to-back World Champions, the first-ever in the history of Worlds, and secured the sixth Worlds trophy for both T1 and Faker – a record that could still be topped.
Gumayusi took home the Finals Most Valuable Player award, becoming the first bot laner to win since 2017, while T1's overall victory marks just the second time a team has won from the Play-In stage, with the last time being DRX in 2022.
07
Post-Worlds victory lap
Faker put on a show in Munich
© Sebastian Kraft/Red Bull Content Pool
Just 10 days following the conclusion of the World Championship, T1 were awarded the Esports Team of the Decade at the Esports Awards on November 19, while the team were also awarded three awards at the second edition of the League Awards in late November.
With Worlds over, it wasn't the end of T1 competing in front of a crowd for the year: Red Bull League of Its Own, a showcase that pitted Europe's top teams, including Los Ratones, Karmine Corp, and G2 Esports, against T1 gave us even more incredible action from the world's top teams – a full love letter to the off-season and the incredible journey T1 has had this year.
With 2025 concluded, we can't wait to see what T1 pull off next season. From another shot at the LCK Cup and First Stand, to the Mid-Season Invitational, and next year's World Championship, there's even more glory for T1 to achieve, more records to break, and more chances to make history.
