The EMEA Masters Summer 2025 kicks off this Monday and runs until November 2. The tournament features 32 teams: the top two from each of the 13 ERLs, an additional third seed from the LFL (France), Superliga (Spain), and Prime League (DACH), plus four teams advancing from the Last Chance Qualifier. The competition begins with a Swiss Stage—whose draw has been finalized on September 26—before moving into a sixteen-team playoff bracket, with the Grand Final set to take place at Paris Games Week on November 2. In this article, we present our ranking of the top 12 teams in the tournament.

1. Los Ratones (1.25)

Unsurprisingly, Los Ratones top our power ranking for the EMEA Masters Summer Split. Champions of both Winter and Spring, as well as three-time NLC winners — each time without dropping a single game — Marc "Caedrel" Lamont’s squad enters the tournament as heavy favorites to complete their ERL golden road. Their participation was initially uncertain due to scheduling conflicts with Worlds, with discussions even taking place about traveling to China to scrim against the world’s best and grind solo queue at the highest level. In the end, Los Ratones will be present to defend their title and attempt the first-ever “golden road” in ERL history.

2. Galions (2.38)

Galions stormed into the LFL Summer Split as frontrunners, completing a flawless 9-0 regular season. The addition of rising talent Franciszek "Harpoon" Gryszkiewicz and experienced head coach Nikola "xani" Zrinjski fueled a dominant campaign that carried them straight into the finals. Yet their bid for perfection was stopped by Karmine Corp Blue, who hit peak form in the playoffs at the decisive moment. While the loss denied Galions a domestic trophy, it may relieve some of the pressure of an unbeaten streak, giving them the chance to enter EMEA Masters as LFL’s standard-bearers—driven by the hunger to deliver the league’s first title since BDS Academy’s triumph in Summer 2024.

3. Karmine Corp Blue (2.88)

This marks Karmine Corp’s ninth appearance at the EMEA Masters, once again qualifying as LFL champions after defeating Galions in the grand final. Despite the title, the four-time EM Champions rank behind GL in our power ranking for several reasons. First, the final itself did not fully reflect the dynamics of the Summer Split, as previously explained. Second, KCB lost their head coach, Vasilis "TheRock" Voltis, who has already joined Natus Vincere in the LEC to start building their 2026 roster.

4. GIANTX Pride (3.63)

GIANTX Pride stamped their authority as Superliga champions with a near-perfect Summer Split run, only losing twice in the regular season, and culminating in a commanding 3-0 sweep of Los Heretics in the finals. They capitalized on a decline in form from rivals Barça eSports, asserting themselves not only in league play but also in the Final Four tournament. Powered by players like AD Carry Berat "Aetinoth" Tıknazoğlu and Lucas "Badlulu" Piochaud, GXP relies heavily on precise teamfighting and controlling the pace of games. Considering they won't lose their cohesion and synergy, they might be able to translate their current domestic dominance into international success at the EMEA Masters.

5. Misa Esports (5.25)

As champions of the Turkish Championship League Summer Split, Misa Esports dominated their national league this split. They had already come close in Spring, finishing first in the regular season but falling to BoostGate Esports in the final, and reaching the quarterfinals of the last EMEA Masters. Over the Summer, they made some roster changes, most notably bringing back jungler Can "Closer" Çelik from his break, which proved to be a perfect fit. The team secured a 3-2 victory over Bushido Wildcats in the Summer final and now enters the EMEA Masters as strong contenders, with a spot in the semifinals well within reach.

6. Los Heretics (7.13)

Los Heretics reached the quarterfinals in the last two editions of the EMEA Masters, and that remains the expectation for them this year. The team made it to the Superliga Summer Split final but fell to GIANTX Pride, only to reach the Final Four final and once again lose to GX. Los Heretics remain a strong roster, featuring well-known names like Kacper "Daglas" Dagiel, Norman "Kaiser" Kaiser, and Sebastian "Tracyn" Wojtoń.

7. Bushido Wildcats (7.13)*

The Bushido Wildcats are making their first EMEA Masters appearance of the year. The team was transformed by the arrival of their new topside in the offseason: Kim “Zest” Don-min from GameWard in the LFL, Lee “Peach” Min-gyu, a former LEC player with EXCEL Esports, and Emre “Kofte” Akça returning to the club with which he lifted the EMEA Masters trophy in Spring 2023. Together, they carry the hopes of reinstating their name on the competition’s winner list. Fourth in the TCL Spring split, they came within one game of winning the Summer Split, doing so in style.

*Los Heretics and Bushido Wildcats ended with the same average score (7,13), but LH secured the higher placement (5th) compared to EDG (6th) within the voting panel.

8. Geekay Esports (8.50)

After claiming multiple Arabian League titles recently, including all three splits this year, Geekay Esports have reinforced their roster with experienced players like William “UNF0RGIVEN” Nieminen and Edgaras “Eckas” Strazdauskas alongside their strong regional core. With also a change of Head Coach, these roster adjustments bring both opportunity and instability, which the club doesn’t need as they usually carry great hopes entering EMEA Masters but have never progressed beyond their historic semifinal finish in Spring 2024. Defeated by ZennIT in last spring’s edition, the pressure will fall on Mohamed “Boda” Yahia, Ahmad “Giyuu” Charif, and their teammates to perform better this time and aim to finally break past their previous limits to compete for the title.

9. Gentle Mates (8.75)

This marks Gentle Mates’ third appearance at the EMEA Masters. The team had a solid Summer Split in the LFL, finishing third after defeating Vitality.Bee before being reverse-swept by Karmine Corp Blue. The roster has remained unchanged throughout the year, which is a positive factor that could help them better coordinate on the Summoner’s Rift. We expect them to make it out of the Swiss Stage, but depending on the bracket stage draw, things could get difficult for Gentle Mates.

10. BIG (10.13)

This Summer Split, Berlin International Gaming reclaimed the crown they lost in Spring, marking their strong return to the top of the Prime League after several turbulent years without qualification for EMEA Masters. They have not missed a single EMEA Masters edition in 2025. With a roster of experienced ERL players like Oliver "Dajor" Ryppa and Louis "BEAN" Schmitz, who both have LEC experience, they carry all the makings of a team capable of breaking through in this split. They will need to improve on their 17th-24th place finish in Spring and 9th-12th place in Winter to make a deeper impact.

11. Vitality.Bee (11.13)

Vitality.Bee is the only team in our power ranking that went through the Last Chance Qualifier before reaching the main event of this EMEA Masters. At the start of the year, this roster aimed to be among the LFL’s top teams, but things didn’t go as planned, and they failed to qualify for the first two editions. With roster changes over the Summer—including Janik "JNX" Bartels in the toplane and Waleed "Dekap" Mohammed Ismail in the support role—the team finished fourth in the LFL, just as they did in Spring. We expect them to make it out of the Swiss Stage, but likely no further than the quarterfinals.

12. Barça eSports (11.75)

Finalists in the last Spring edition, Barça eSports endured their toughest Superliga Split of the year in Summer 2025. The contrast is strong, marked by an eighth-place finish in the Superliga, despite the only roster change being the addition of Doğukan “113” Balcı replacing Francisco "Thayger" Mazo Sánchez. Their presence in the tournament is largely thanks to the Final Four format, which aggregates points over the entire year, securing them a spot at EMEA Masters based on consistency rather than peak form. Led by Sergio Vicente “Legolas” Gispert, the team aims to channel past success and pressure into a competitive showing.