On Thursday, the fourth round of the 2025 Worlds Swiss Stage has delivered its verdict: Team Secret Whales are eliminated, and Gen.G advance to the playoffs — securing a spot in the tournament’s top 8. Movistar KOI and Top Esports now stand at 2-2 and await the Friday, October 24 draw to discover their final opponents in the qualification decider.

With this result, MKOI are already guaranteed their second-best Worlds run ever, having only reached the quarterfinals once before, in 2021. Gen.G lived up to their reputation and crushed their opponents with authority, advancing to their fifth consecutive quarterfinals as the team no one wants to face in Saturday’s draw.

Lions eating Whales

Movistar KOI managed to survive another day at Worlds 2025 after overcoming Team Secret Whales in a tense best-of-three. The series started poorly for the European side, with MKOI’s botlane crumbling under constant pressure on botlane. TSW’s impenetrable frontline left MKOI unable to find answers, resulting in a one-sided opener. However, the team rallied back, led by the strength of their topside.

Javier "Elyoya" Prades and Joseph Joon "Jojopyun" Pyun, in particular, were dominant throughout the whole series. While Alex "Myrwn" Villarejo's K’Sante repeatedly solo killed Trần "Hiro02" Lê Trung Hậu in game 3, cracking open the map and securing crucial advantages. Álvaro "Alvaro" Fernández del Amo’s Rell also shined in the decider, earning redemption for the earlier struggles.

After the match, assistant coach Quentin "Zeph" Viguié acknowledged the difficult start but credited his players for their response. “We played poorly in bot. We got the Fnatic treatment — they camped us,” he said. “Jojo and Elyoya really stepped up. Their midlaner got destroyed.” Zeph explained that while there were small talks between games, “there wasn’t any magic recipe,” emphasizing adaptation rather than drastic changes.

Looking ahead, he noted that BLG or FlyQuest would be favorable draws due to their current form but reaffirmed the team’s focus on winning regardless. As for Team Secret Whales, their campaign ends on a respectable note after defying expectations — defeating LTA’s second seed and pushing one of the LEC’s best to the limit.

The monster is in quarters

In the second match, Gen.G delivered an exceptional performance, dominating start to finish with spectacular teamfights that showcased their precision and coordination. Though they occasionally overplayed certain moments, they completely dismantled their opponents once the game fell into their rhythm. The decisiveness of their calls, their control over the map, and the mechanical sharpness in every fight made their League of Legends look nearly unstoppable when everything clicked as it did in this series.

Fu "Hang" Minghang was the lone bright spot for Top Esports in Game 1 but couldn’t prevent the 25-minute demolition. Every misstep was brutally punished by Gen.G, whose clinical execution reflected the dominance expected from the LCK titans. Game 2 proved slightly closer, but Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon’s fed Yone and TES’s chaotic positioning widened the gap once again, exposing the clear mechanical difference between the two squads.

After the series, Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu reflected, “It feels like Gen.G is rising up and up. We were at 85% today — we’ll reach our higher ceiling in the next rounds.” Chovy was even more direct in the teaser: “I got one thing to say to our future opponents — you’re unlucky.” With this win, Gen.G advance confidently to the quarterfinals, joining Hanwha Life Esports and G2 Esports in the 3-1 standings.

Must-watch plays of the day