G2 Esports vs Top Esports: Worlds 2025 Quarterfinals Preview
Europe’s Hope vs China’s Redemption Seekers
The #Worlds2025 Knockout Stage bracket!
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 25, 2025
Path to the Quarterfinals: Grit and Upsets
G2 Esports stormed into the Knockouts with a 3-1 Swiss Stage record, shattering a five year drought without reaching Worlds playoffs their first top eight appearance since 2020. The Samurais started rocky, falling 32 minutes flat to TES in Round 1, but rebounded fiercely, dismantling Movistar KOI 2-0 in Round 2, upsetting LPL #1 seed Bilibili Gaming (BLG) via draft mastery in Round 3, and reverse sweeping FlyQuest 2-1 in a tense Round 4 advancement series. Rookie jungler Skewmond’s scaling prowess and Caps mid lane dominance shone, though early game proactivity remains a vulnerability.
TES scraped through with a grittier 3-2 record, surviving elimination scares. After dominating G2 early, they lost to 100 Thieves (Round 2), bounced back against KT Rolster, got crushed 2-0 by Gen.G (Round 4), but clinched survival with a chaotic 2-1 upset over BLG, the series highest kill game stealing Cloud Soul in a decisive teamfight. JackeyLove’s carry threat and Kanavi’s jungle dictation were highlights, but mid game collapses exposed their “chokers” label from past Worlds runs.
Head-to-Head and Key Matchups
These rivals met twice recently, G2 swept TES 3-0 at MSI 2024, but TES steamrolled them in this tournament’s BO1. Fearless Draft (no repeat picks in the series) favors G2’s deeper hero pools, especially mid (Caps) and top (Broken Blade/Skewmond flex).
Critical Duels:
- Jungle: Skewmond vs Kanavi – G2’s rookie must match TES’s pace-setter, who snowballed their Swiss win. Early aggression decides objectives.
- Top: Broken Blade vs 369 – 369’s Aatrox dominance crushed G2 before; BB’s scaling needs protection.
- Mid: Caps vs Creme – Caps edges individually, but Creme thrives in TES’s team synergy.
- Bot: Hans sama/Labrov vs JackeyLove/Hang – JKL’s superstar potential vs G2’s reliable duo; TES’s late-game edge looms.
Storylines: Pressure, Revenge and History
For G2, this is Europe’s banner, first LEC top-8 since 2022, breaking a brutal “quarterfinal curse” after three straight Swiss Stage exits. Already exceeding expectations with upsets over BLG and a reverse sweep of FlyQuest (avenging a 3-0 MSI loss), the Samurais carry the West’s fading international hopes into hostile Shanghai territory. A win exorcises ghosts from 2021-2024 failures, eyes a T1/AL semi rematch, and proves their LEC Summer dominance translates globally, all while rookie Skewmond cements his breakout and Caps chases that elusive Summoner’s Cup.
TES chases redemption after Worlds chokes (3-0 T1 loss last year, infamous 2022 group exit behind Rogue/DRX) and aims to prove LPL #3 seed mettle on home soil. Their Swiss survival, crushing G2 early but surviving Gen.G/100T scares via BLG revenge fuels the “chokers no more” narrative. Stars like Kanavi (reunited with 369) and JackeyLove (2018 Worlds champ eyeing legacy-capper) must shed mid game collapse tags under immense crowd pressure, turning Swiss volatility into BO5 mastery.
This growing rivalry, G2’s 3-0 MSI humiliation of TES stars Creme/369/JKL vs. TES’s fresh Swiss payback promises stylistic chaos, G2’s creative drafts vs. TES’s early aggression. Both off peak but clutch, it’s a battle of nerves where Europe’s miracle meets China’s home redemption.
Since: October 29, 2025
