LoL - Worlds: The Five Players to Watch

Worlds will kick off on October 14 with the Play-In stage, featuring a clash between T1 and Invictus Gaming. Seventeen teams will battle to dethrone the reigning back-to-back champions, T1. These Worlds promise plenty of storylines — players making their return to the spotlight, redemption arcs, and rising stars. Here’s a roster of players to keep an eye on throughout the tournament. Each of them has a story to tell, a journey to follow, and something to prove.

This roster features T1’s toplaner Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon, the best Western player and FlyQuest’s jungler Kacper "Inspired" Słoma, the returning Song "Rookie" Eui-jin as Invictus Gaming’s midlaner, the aggressive CTBC Flying Oyster AD Carry and LCP representative Chiu "Doggo" Tzu-Chuan, and finally, the player who proved his worth in Europe with G2 Esports, Labros "Labrov" Papoutsakis.

One question arises for the 2025 edition: can T1 keep its throne without Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, and with his replacement, Doran, the only player on T1’s roster who has never won Worlds. Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun, Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong, and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok each have two titles, while Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok boasts five. Doran joined the most decorated organization in League of Legends history after the drama between T1 and Zeus prevented the latter from extending his contract.

Over time, T1 fans have learned to appreciate Doran — and he’s repaid that trust on multiple occasions. While not as flashy or dominant as his predecessor, Doran remains a major name in the LCK. He made a strong debut with Griffin, enjoyed a solid stint with DRX in 2020, and spent a less notable year with KT Rolster before joining Gen.G, where he won three LCK titles and reached a Worlds semifinal, eventually losing to DRX in 2022.

In 2024, he joined Hanwha Life Esports, claimed his fourth LCK title, and made his fourth Worlds appearance, falling in the quarterfinals to Bilibili Gaming. The 2025 season has been full of ups and downs for the toplaner, but heading into Worlds, Doran carries a heavy weight on his shoulders — representing T1.

Without a doubt, Inspired is the best Western player of 2025 — across both the LTA and the LEC — the Polish jungler had an almost flawless year with FlyQuest in LTA North. Champion of Splits 2 and 3, LTA Player of the Year, LTA North Split 2 Most Valuable Player, and part of the LTA North 1st All-Pro Team — he swept every award, and it was all well deserved.

This year, the West enters Worlds with rather slim chances. Aside from G2 Esports and FlyQuest, not many teams seem capable of reaching the top or challenging the Korean and Chinese giants. On a good day, though, both of these teams could make it happen — with a slight edge to FlyQuest and Inspired, who’ve kept the same roster. Their 2024 Worlds run was impressive, making it out of the Swiss stage and taking Gen.G to five games in the quarterfinals. Inspired was one of the team’s key players, known for pulling out off-meta picks like his Nunu. He’ll definitely be one to watch at these Worlds.

After so many years away, Rookie finally makes his comeback — though it could be a short one, since IG will have to go through a do-or-die match against T1 in the Play-In. But the return of “Faker Junior” is very real. After several years away from the international stage, Rookie has put together a remarkable season in his comeback with Invictus Gaming and has rightfully earned his spot at Worlds — where he’s always belonged.

At 28, Rookie returned to the legendary organization with whom he won Worlds in 2018 and the LPL title the following year. Alongside Kang "TheShy" Seung-lok, the duo came back looking as if they had never left. With over 20 different champions played since his return and his trademark off-meta picks — from Zeri to Yasuo and even Lulu — Rookie has once again shown his versatility and flair. Now, he’ll have to overcome Faker to reach the Main Stage — no easy feat, but his journey will definitely be one to watch.

Explosive beginnings in the PCS with Beyond Gaming, a last-minute loan to PSG Talon during the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational to replace Wong "Unified" Chun Kit, and a first Worlds appearance that ended in a Play-In elimination — Doggo’s early career was a dream start. This earned him a transfer to the LPL with BLG and then Ultra Prime. Although his three years there didn’t go well, though the experience Doggo gained proved crucial upon his return to the LCP with CFO. He is the team’s anchor, main carry, and a source of experience despite his young age.

In 2025, Doggo has posted impressive stats, high win rates on his most-played champions, and even recorded two pentakills: one during the Season Finals against Team Secret Whales, and another against T1 at MSI in an extremely tight Best-of-Five, where CFO pushed the world champions to five games. As Doggo told Hotspawn in an interview: “Coming back to LCP allowed me to help the new players.” He’s effectively a leader for the team and will definitely be one to watch at these Worlds.

During the offseason following Worlds 2024, G2’s roster changes caused quite a stir. Letting go of Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle, widely regarded as the region’s best support, to bring in Labrov raised many questions about the level of both players. The Greek support’s performance in the first split didn’t reassure the fans. After several years in the LEC with mid-to-bottom table finishes at Team Vitality, he joined Team BDS in 2023 and reached a Spring final, also making his first — and only — Worlds appearance that year.

In 2024, his duo with Yoon "Ice" Sang-hoon performed well, but the roster failed to achieve anything significant and disbanded by year’s end. Labrov then joined G2, and his Summer Split was very strong. Many had doubts about his champion pool in fearless drafts, but those were quickly dispelled, even though he remains primarily a tank player. The 2020 Summer Split rookie has clearly matured and will now be playing his second Worlds, this time with G2. With one goal: to prove that he was the one G2 needed to break through their glass ceiling