21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Gen.G clinches 2025 EWC championship, following MSI victory
Gen.G becomes the second team to win the EWC title following T1
South Korean League of Legends juggernaut Gen.G cemented their status as esports royalty by capturing the 2025 Esports World Cup title on Monday, following hot on the heels of their recent Mid-Season Invitational triumph.
In a best-of-five grand final, Gen.G edged out China's Anyone's Legend, securing the championship with a 3-2 victory and a $600,000 prize. The series featured notable performances from mid laner Jeong 'Chovy' Ji-hoon and top laner Kim 'Kiin' Ki-in, who contributed to early wins. Jeong's control of Twisted Fate — a champion known for his global map presence and effective burst damage — played a major role in Gen.G's success.
Before the final, Gen.G had overcome Europe's G2 Esports 2-1, while Anyone's Legend had swept Korea's T1 by 2-0. By finishing among the top four teams at MSI 2025, Gen.G and T1 bypassed the preliminaries and advanced directly to the playoffs.
With this victory, Gen.G becomes the second team to clinch the EWC championship, following last year's winners, T1.
The Riyadh-based event, launched in 2024, is an annual international tournament series featuring multiple esports titles, including Starcraft, Battleground Mobile, Fortnite and League of Legends.
Gen.G's EWC triumph adds to its winning streak, coming off their back-to-back MSI titles — one of the three major annual international tournaments organized by Riot Games.
Widely regarded as the second-most prestigious League of Legends event after the League of Legends World Championship, Gen.G clinched the tournament's championship by beating T1 3-2 in a July 13 final. The match not only reignited the longstanding Gen.G-T1 rivalry but also gained significant attention as it marked the first international final clash between popular mid laners Jeong and Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok.
With their MSI championship, Gen.G has boosted its chances of securing a direct berth to the 2025 World Championship. Riot Games' 2024 rule grants MSI champions automatic Worlds qualification, provided they return to their regional league and achieve at least a playoff-level finish.
Currently sitting in the legend group for the upcoming League of Legends Champions Korea rounds 3 to 5, which kick off Wednesday, Gen.G needs 4 to 5 more wins — on top of their 18-0 record from rounds 1 and 2 — to guarantee a spot in the World Championship playoffs.
Since the tournament's debut in 2015, only two teams, T1 and Royal Never Give Up, had secured back-to-back MSI titles. Now, Gen.G joins the list with their consecutive MSI championship win.
