LoL - Worlds: KT and AL qualify for the quarterfinals after victories over TES and CFO

The first day of BO3s at Worlds wraps up this Friday, with the first two teams securing their spots in the quarterfinals: KT Rolster and Anyone's Legend, who triumphed over Top Esports and CTBC Flying Oyster, respectively.

On Saturday, BO1s return, but this time there will only be four matches between the teams at 1-1: Team Secret Whales vs. FlyQuest, Gen.G vs. T1, G2 Esports vs. Bilibili Gaming, and 100 Thieves vs. Hanwha Life Esports. The quarterfinals will take place from October 28 to 31, meaning KT and AL won’t play over the next two weeks. This could represent a disadvantage and raises questions about whether sweeping the Swiss Stage 3-0 is truly beneficial.

The BO between KT and TES began with a game where both teams largely neutralized each other, until KT finally swung the momentum in their favor, highlighted by an impressive performance from Seo "deokdam" Dae-gil on Corki. In the second game, the pressure around Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong was immense.

Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok and Fu "Hang" Ming-hang repeatedly came to assist Lin "Creme" Jian, but it wasn’t enough — Bdd on Cassiopeia completely carried the match. A perfectly placed Petrifying Gaze in a team fight secured the game for KT, earning them qualification. This marks their fourth participation, with the organization having never finished higher or lower than the quarterfinals.

On AL’s side, the BO saw Shen "Driver" Tsung-Hua give way to Hsu "Rest" Shih-Chieh, who had played the first two BO1s at the start of Worlds. In Game 1, Tsai "HongQ" Ming-Hong delivered a standout performance on Aurora, finishing 5/0/11 — a reference game for the rookie and LCP Player of the Year, who had struggled to find his footing earlier in these Worlds.

The second game was tightly contested, with ups and downs for both teams, culminating in a final fight at Baron Nashor won by AL. Cui "Shanks" Xiao-Jun shone on Orianna, a champion with an exceptionally high win rate at these Worlds — six wins to only one loss.

In Game 3, two champions with very low win rates were picked: Rek'Sai for AL and Vi for CFO. The match was close, with both teams capable of swinging it in their favor. A topside fight allowed Li "Flandre" Xuan-Jun to secure a triple kill, marking a major turning point and the win for the Chinese team. AL qualify for the Knockout Stage of Worlds for the first time in their history, in their debut appearance.