The LCK Road to MSI 2025 has officially become the most popular League of Legends tournament of the year, driven by high-stakes matchups, powerhouse teams, and record-breaking viewership numbers. The Korean regional qualifier concluded on June 15, drawing massive attention thanks to its competitive format and the enduring popularity of T1.
Featuring the top six teams from the 2025 LCK Season’s first two rounds, the tournament served as a qualifier for both the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2025 and the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025. Gen.G and T1 claimed the top two spots and secured qualification to MSI. However, as Gen.G had already been invited to the EWC as the reigning world champion, Hanwha Life Esports earned Korea’s third spot for the event in Riyadh.
The LCK’s format left no room for error. T1, despite playing a maximum of two matches, faced possible elimination if they lost either one. That uncertainty drove immense viewership. Their pivotal Round 5 match against Hanwha Life Esports—essentially a final for MSI qualification—drew over 1.96 million peak viewers, making it the most-watched LoL event of 2025 so far.
This viewership surge helped the LCK Road to MSI 2025 outshine even Riot’s own First Stand 2025, nearly doubling its peak concurrent viewer count. While it remains behind the top Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournaments for raw peak viewership—MPL Indonesia Season 15 leads with 4.13 million PV—LCK has delivered consistently strong audience numbers.
With an average viewership of 752,208, the LCK Road to MSI also ranks as the most consistently watched esports event of 2025, regardless of game title. The only competition that comes close is the LoL First Stand event, reaffirming League of Legends’ dominance in sustained viewer engagement.
T1 continues to be a major driver of this success. Whether or not the team wins, the presence of global icon Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and the T1 brand draws in millions of fans. Their matches were the two most-watched of the entire event, underlining their unmatched influence in the LoL ecosystem.
Korean fans once again demonstrated their passion and loyalty, turning even a regional qualifier into a marquee esports event. The LCK Road to MSI 2025 is not only a competitive triumph—it’s also a cultural moment for the League of Legends community.
