According to Esports Charts, the Play-In series of Worlds 2025 between T1 and Invictus Gaming reached a peak viewership of 2,729,864. This figure sets a new record for the most watched Play-In match in the history of the League of Legends World Championship and marks the highest recorded audience for a qualifying match since the Play-In was introduced in 2017.

The series opened the 2025 World Championship in China and was played for the very last spot in the Swiss Stage. This year’s Play-In stage featured a modified format, reducing the number of participating teams from eight to two. T1, the back-to-back reigning World Champions, defeated Invictus Gaming, returning to Worlds for the first time since 2019, the year the last two organizations met at an international tournament.

A new era for Play-Ins

The previous Play-In viewership peak was 1.4 million during Worlds 2024. The 2025 edition surpassed that figure by more than 75%. Most of the audience followed the match on YouTube, which recorded the highest peak among all platforms, followed by Twitch. South Korean streaming platforms CHZZK and SOOP also accounted for several hundred thousand viewers.

Regional distribution data indicates South Korea as the largest contributor to peak viewership, with over 900,000 viewers. English-language streams represented the largest international share, while Vietnamese and Chinese viewers followed on non-domestic platforms.