2025 League of Legends Championship Korea finals set for showdown

Mid lane and jungle identified as decisive zones for upcoming semifinals

From left: Team KT Rolster, Hanwha Life Esports and Gen.G pose for a photo during a press conference held in Jongno, Seoul, Tuesday. (Riot Games)

The 2025 League of Legends Championship Korea, which introduced its first unified season and stretched over the course of six months, is finally coming to a close this Sunday, with LoL powerhouse Hanwha Life Esports awaiting its final challenger.

The LCK Finals will take place Sunday at Inspire Arena in Jung-gu, Incheon.

On Saturday, KT Rolster and Gen.G will clash in the semifinal for a spot in the championship match, while on Sunday, the winner of that semifinal will face Hanwha Life Esports. Hanwha Life Esports secured the first berth in the final after sweeping KT Rolster 3-0 in the direct final qualifier on Saturday.

Both the semifinals and finals will follow a best-of-five format.

For the finals, Hanwha Life Esports, a rising esports powerhouse that returns as the defending champion after their 2024 LCK Summer victory, expressed their strong competitive drive.

“I’m eager for a consecutive championship," Hanwha Life Esports coach Choi In-gyu told reporters at a press conference held Tuesday at the LCK Arena in Jongno, Seoul.

“Last year, at the LCK Summer Final, we had to start from the semifinals, so we had no choice but to focus on the immediate opponent in front of us,” Choi explained. “This year, since we advanced directly to the final, I feel more at ease compared to then."

When asked to predict which team would make it to the final, Choi and Hanwha Life’s jungler “Peanut” Han Wang-ho both favored Gen.G, citing their 29<1 record in the 2025 regular season.

Hanwha Life Esports head coach Choi In-gyu speaks during a press conference held in Jongno, Seoul, Tuesday. (Riot Games)

Unlike past seasons, which were divided into separate spring and summer splits, this year’s unified season lengthened the schedule considerably — and players expressed some concerns about the demands of the extended calendar.

“This year in particular, the mid-season schedule was a bit awkward, which made it difficult to arrange scrims and distribute the players’ vacation time. Honestly, what stands out most is how tight the schedule was, leaving little room to prepare for it," said coach Choi. Scrims are short for scrimmages, or practice matches used by teams to test strategies, improve coordination and prepare for official matches.

Gen.G coach Kim Jeong-su echoed the sentiment, noting that winning the LCK feels much more important now. "While the season used to end in August, matches are now continuing until late September, which makes it feel a bit exhausting," he added.

Gen.G head coach Kim Jeong-su speaks during a press conference held in Jongno, Seoul, Tuesday. (Riot Games)

Meanwhile, for the upcoming semifinals, both KT Rolsters and Gen.G head coaches identified the mid lane and jungle as critical battlegrounds. The mid lane, positioned at the center of the game map, allows players to rapidly rotate to either the top or bottom lanes while playing a pivotal role in team fights and vision control. The jungle, a forested area between lanes, is where the jungler grows by defeating neutral monsters.

“KT is a team with Kwak Bo-seong (mid-laner), who plays incredibly well. He’s a player who influences every lane. Moon Woo-chan from KT Rolster also mapped out his jungle paths very effectively in the previous match, which made things difficult," said Gen.G coach Kim.