LoL - LPL: Bilibili Gaming secured their spot at Worlds and reached the Split 3 final

Bilibili Gaming came out on top with a 3-2 victory over Top Esports this Monday, September 15, sending them to the Lower Bracket Final while securing their own spot in the LPL Split 3 grand final, as well as qualification for Worlds 2025, which will take place on home soil in China from October 14 to November 9. TES drop to the lower bracket, where they will face the winner of the JD Gaming vs Anyone’s Legend series for a chance to challenge BLG in the grand final.

This victory was far from guaranteed for BLG. Trailing 2-1 and with their backs against the wall, they brought in their sixth man, Zhao "Shad0w" Zhi-Qiang, who subbed in for Yang "Beichuan" Ling to turn the series around. Ironically, Shad0w had been benched just a few matches earlier in favor of Beichuan. After the match, Beichuan expressed his joy on social media at qualifying for Worlds for the first time in his career: “I’ll keep working on my weaknesses and improving myself, communicate more with my teammates and strengthen our synergy.”

If there’s roles that proved decisive for both teams today, it was the jungle and AD Carry. The first game was taken by BLG after a huge performance from their botlaner Zhao "Elk" Jia-Hao on Kai’Sa in an otherwise completely chaotic game—TES had dominated with nearly 3.5k gold lead before throwing it away. The second game mirrored the same scenario but in the opposite direction: TES stayed ahead for most of the game before being caught up, yet BLG couldn’t hold, and TES regained control thanks to their carry.

Notably, Qiyana was permanently banned throughout the series by both teams whenever it was on red side. The third game was simply one of the most outstanding individual performances of 2025. Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok on Sylas solo-won the game, dealing over 30k damage in under 27 minutes with a 15/1/8 scoreline, leaving the four other TES players powerless—Kanavi single-handedly swung the series in their favor. This crushing defeat led BLG’s coaching staff to make a decisive change: subbing in Shad0w for Beichuan in the decider—and it worked.

While Azir is permanently banned in most other leagues, in China it’s not the case, and Zhuo "Knight" Ding picked it up for a massive performance. BLG’s botlane also had a strong showing on Kalista and Renata Glasc—a combo rarely seen lately but proved highly effective. In the final, Worlds-qualifying game, the MVP award fittingly went to Shad0w, who delivered an almost perfect performance on Xin Zhao—setting up fights, controlling objectives, and excelling in teamfights—ultimately securing BLG’s ticket to Worlds.

It’s still not the end of the road for TES, who drop to the Lower Bracket Final. JDG and AL will face each other tomorrow, September 16, to determine who will play TES on the 20th. Ultimately, the grand final will take place on the 21st between BLG and one of these three teams to crown the Split champion and the team that secures a Worlds spot through Championship Points or split winning. Meanwhile, four other teams will compete in the Regional Finals, which already include Weibo and Invictus Gaming.