The 2025 Esports World Cup comes to a close on sunday with Gen.G claiming victory in the grand final, defeating Anyone’s Legend 3-2 in a best-of-five series. AL, competing under the AG.AL banner, fell just short as the Korean powerhouse secured the tournament’s largest League of Legends prize pool: $600,000. As runners-up, AL walk away with $320,000. Earlier in the day, the third-place match saw reigning world champions T1 face off against G2 Esports in a best-of-three. T1 came out on top, earning $230,000, while G2 take home $160,000.

In both games, T1 needed only 27 minutes to dispatch the LEC finalists. In Game 1, they ran a double AP composition featuring Azir in the midlane and Aurora top, which worked flawlessly. In Game 2, T1 managed to secure Vi in the jungle along with a Jhin-Bard duo in the botlane—champions typically banned against T1 given how proficient their players are on them. Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok also had a strong performance on Sylas, helping T1 secure a clean 2-0 and finish the tournament in third place.

The double for Gen.G

On July 12, Gen.G lifted the Mid-Season Invitational trophy after defeating T1 in the grand final in Vancouver. Just eight days later, they traveled to Riyadh and claimed the 2025 Esports World Cup title—an event won by T1 the previous year. Over the past few months, Gen.G have firmly established themselves as the best team in the world. Entering the final as clear favorites, they lived up to the expectations.

In Game 1, they played around their carries, with Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon on Yone and Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk on Varus leading the way. Game 2 saw another dominant showing from Ruler, while Kim "Kiin" Gi-in impressed on both K'Sante in game 1 and Ambessa for the second, showing his comfort on a wide range of picks. Anyone’s Legend responded in Game 3, determined not to go down without a fight. A strong performance from Wang "Hope" Jie on Sivir gave the LPL champions a lifeline and brought the series to life.

AL fought, but fell

Anyone’s Legend even managed to tie the series after an intense Game 4. Kim "Kael" Jin-hong brought out the tournament’s only Blitzcrank—a pick he had already found success with at MSI, winning two games on it. As Silver Scrapes echoed through the STC Esports Arena, a Game 5 was set with over forty champions unavailable. The stakes had never been higher.

It took until the final game of the EWC to see Twisted Fate pick up a win across both major international events this spring split—and fittingly, it was in the hands of Chovy that the Card Master finally shined. Once again, Gen.G leaned on their carries, who delivered under pressure and secured the team not only the EWC trophy, but also the $600,000 grand prize.

Up next are the regional leagues. The LPL already resumed on July 19, but AL and Bilibili Gaming will only return to action on the 26th, facing each other head-to-head. The LCK kicks off again on Wednesday the 23rd with a blockbuster opener between MSI and EWC champions Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports, who missed MSI and were knocked out early at EWC by AL. The LEC will resume on August 2, while the LCP and both LTA North and South are set to return on July 26.