LoL - Worlds 2025: CFO-FLY, soaring for a quarterfinal spot

The Swiss Stage of these Worlds is nearing its end with the conclusion of Round 4 this Friday. And the end of a round means the draw for the next one. The Drawing bowl and Su "xiye" Han-Wei revealed the final knockout and qualifying series will see T1 face Movistar KOI, Top Esports against Bilibili Gaming, and FlyQuest taking on CTBC Flying Oyster at 7 AM CET.

CFO had a much tougher journey through this Swiss Stage. They started by defeating Fnatic and created a surprise by beating T1, but then fell to the second seeds from the LCK and LPL — Anyone’s Legend and Hanwha Life Esports. They will now face FlyQuest, who began with a loss to T1 but bounced back with wins over Vivo Keyd Stars and Team Secret Whales before falling to G2 Esports. The two teams have never faced each other before, so this will be their first meeting.

Both teams are the last remaining representatives of their respective regions. The LTA sent FlyQuest along with 100 Thieves, who were knocked out 1–3 by T1, and Vivo Keyd Stars, who also fell 1–3 to BLG. For the LCP it’s been even tougher: PSG Talon went out 0–3 and Team Secret Whales dropped out at 1–3. That leaves FLY and CFO as the only teams still standing for their leagues. With the LCK, LPL and LEC already locked into the quarterfinals, one of these two remaining regions will end up with no representative in the BO5 stage.

And if there’s one team that has looked stronger so far at these Worlds, it’s CFO, who come in as the favorites for tomorrow’s series. They’ve faced tougher opponents and even managed to beat the two-time defending World Champions. One key point heading into this BO is that CFO still haven’t found a way to win from red side, while FlyQuest have. CFO were drawn first and will therefore have side selection for Game 1, which could be crucial in this matchup.

The series between the two teams is expected to be very close and will possibly go to three games. Kacper "Inspired" Słoma and Yu "JunJia" Chun-chia are both key junglers in how their teams operate, and their impact on tempo will be crucial. In midlane, Song "Quad" Su-hyeong versus Tsai "HongQ" Ming-Hong should be a matchup worth watching.

While many would have given HongQ the edge before Worlds began, the LCP player of the year has shown some struggles so far this tournament. The toplane matchup will be particularly intense: Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau for FlyQuest, up against Hsu "Rest" Shih-Chieh and Shen "Driver" Tsung-Hua on the CFO side. That alone opens the door to a wide variety of picks and lane dynamics, which will be one of the key areas to keep an eye on.

Where the balance could really tip in CFO’s favor is the botlane. At these Worlds, Chiu "Doggo" Tzu-Chuan is clearly CFO’s main carry, while it’s a bit more complicated for FlyQuest’s AD Carry, Iraqi player Fahad "Massu" Abdulmalek. Looking at the stats, it’s clear Doggo is on top form: higher KDA, more kill participation, more damage per minute, and far stronger laning stats.

The Taiwanese botlaner also leads in total kills and assists. Of course, in League of Legends stats don’t tell the whole story, and the BO3 could unfold differently. But for now, Doggo is showing the stronger performance, both in numbers and in impact — as seen in his massive Draven game against T1. CFO trust him, and the 22-year-old AD Carry is delivering brilliantly so far.