LoL - Worlds 2025: G2-FLY, can the Samurai cut the Leaf?

FlyQuest and G2 Esports will face off on Wednesday, October 22, in Round 4 of the Swiss Stage. Both teams will play their first best-of-three of the tournament to determine which one advances to the Worlds quarterfinals. Beyond qualification, there’s also a symbolic battle at stake — deciding which team stands as the best representative of the West.

Both teams have followed fairly similar paths so far, each falling in their opening match of the tournament. FlyQuest couldn’t find an answer against the reigning back-to-back world champions T1, while G2 were defeated by the LPL’s third seed, Top Esports. They later secured a crucial win over Movistar KOI, which sent them to face Bilibili Gaming — a match they managed to upset, leaving the LPL champions now sitting at 1-2. As for FlyQuest, their run has been slightly smoother, with victories in the rematch of the LTA final against Vivo Keyd Stars and then over Team Secret Whales.

While both teams represent the best of their respective regions and the West as a whole, FlyQuest appear to come in with more confidence. Double champions of the LTA, FlyQuest first met G2 at the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational in Vancouver during Lower Bracket Round 1. On standard drafts or on pocket picks, the North American team dominated the entire best-of-five, delivering a clean sweep in which G2 had no impact.

They crossed paths again at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh during a best-of-one play-in match, which G2 won, but the significance of a BO1 in the EWC Play-In doesn’t compare much to an elimination BO5 at MSI. At Worlds, G2 are showing a way stronger performance than during their Spring Split. Their level of play seems to improve day by day, and they could very well assert themselves in this qualifying showdown.

Both teams boast ten players of exceptionally high quality, and the toplane matchup between Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau and Sergen "BrokenBlade" Çelik will be interesting to watch. Both are capable of surprising with pocket picks and carrying their teams. In the midlane, Rasmus "Caps" Winther seems to have the edge over Song "Quad" Su-hyeong, though the Korean midlaner is no pushover. Meanwhile, both botlanes are in strong form.

But the true duel—the match within the match—will be in the jungle, as has often been the case this year. The role carries immense impact, with carry-oriented picks and playmaking potential granting junglers significant control and power. Kacper "Inspired" Słoma is in stratospheric form, arguably the best Western player over the past two years, carrying his team through many best-of series. On the other side, Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan, enjoying a strong rookie year in the LEC, has demonstrated remarkable maturity in his gameplay. At just 21, SkewMond will face a tough challenge against Inspired, but on a day when both are at their best, Skew can compete with world's best.

Just before Worlds, in an interview with Sheep Esports, Inspired stated: "From practice, none of the European teams really impressed me." A clear show of confidence from the Polish jungler, but it’s also important to remember that FLY went through a rough moment, particularly after the whole situation surrounding their toplaner Bwipo. Inspired added: "Everything that happened definitely affected us, but we try to focus on what’s important [...] It made winning the split a bit harder, but we pulled it off."