As the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) season rapidly approaches, anticipation is building with the announcement of the 2025 LCK Cup groups. Featuring an innovative format, the first tournament of the year will pit all ten teams in a three-phase competition, determining the region's representative for First Stand 2025, Riot Games' inaugural international event of the year.

The Group Battle

Every game counts, and just like a tug of war, the group with the most wins could very well shape the LCK Cup as a whole. Announced in late October, the first phase splits the ten LCK teams into two groups of five. The top two teams from the 2024 season — HLE and Gen.G — have been assigned to Groups Baron and Elder, and each selected an additional team from the remaining pool of eight. The selected teams then chose the next team to join their group until each group had five teams.

Instead of battling teams within their own groups, participants will compete against teams from the opposite group, striving to secure as many points as possible for their side. The group with the most wins will be declared the "Winners Group," earning better seeding for the next two phases of the tournament. Meanwhile, the last-placed team from the "Losers Group" will face direct elimination.

With just one spot at First Stand 2025 on the line, these fresh squads must be ruthless and adapt quickly to the evolving meta, especially with significant gameplay changes and limited preparation time. Adding to the challenge, the LCK Cup will debut a Hard Fearless Draft format, meaning each champion can only be picked once per series. With every match being a best-of-three at minimum, fans can look forward to an action-packed start to the competitive season.

Featured Match-Ups

Though T1 and Hanwha Life Esports are guaranteed not to clash until after the group stage, plenty of intriguing matchups await. Group Baron features BNK FEARX, DN Freecs, Hanwha Life Esports, OKSavingsBank BRION, and the reigning world champions, T1. Meanwhile, Group Elder includes Dplus KIA, DRX, Gen.G, KT Rolster, and Nongshim RedForce, setting the stage for some thrilling games.

Now the classic rivalry of the LCK, the Telecom Wars, is heating up as KT Rolster and T1 prepare to face off once again in the Cup. While T1 has dominated this matchup in recent times, KT Rolster enters with three new starters, promising a fresh look for this showdown. On the other side, T1 brings a new face to the top lane with the addition of Doran.

Fans will want to keep a close eye on Gen.G, regarded on paper as the strongest team in Group Elder and a key contender to disrupt Group Baron’s dominance in the first phase. Within the opening weeks of competition, Gen.G is set to face both the reigning LCK champions, Hanwha Life Esports, and the reigning world champions, T1. With both matches being best-of-threes, they promise to deliver plenty of intense action.