Asia Invitational: New League of Legends International Tournament Announced

17 Sep

Martin Arévalo-Östberg

A brand new League of Legends international tournament has been announced, and it will be happening much sooner than you would expect. The LCK, LPL, and LCP will collide at the 2025 Asia Invitational, a tournament featuring some of the best teams from each region who failed to qualify to Worlds.

Here's a look at everything we know so far about the new Asia Invitational event.

Credit: LCK

2025 Asia Invitational: Eastern Teams Clash

The inaugural Asia Invitational tournament will serve as the perfect prelude to Worlds 2025. The event will take place in October, running a week before the start of the biggest tournament in League of Legends esports. All important information is as follows:

Dates: October 6th - October 12th
Teams:
- LCK: #5-#7 seeds (Dplus KIA, BNK FEARX, Nongshim RedForce)
- LPL: #5-#7 seeds (JD Gaming, Weibo Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas)
- LCP: #4-#5 seeds (Vikings Esports, DetonatioN FocusMe) *GAM Esports declined
Format:
- Group Stage (Oct 6-9):
  - Group A: 2 LCK teams, 1 LPL team, 1 LCP team
  - Group B: 2 LPL teams, 1 LCK team, 1 LCP team
  - Single-elimination
  - Bo3 matches
  - Top 2 teams qualify for Playoffs
- Playoffs (Oct 10-12):
  - Double-elimination bracket
  - B03 matches (except Grand Finals, which are Bo5)
Prize pool: ¥1.5 million (≈$210,000 USD)

A Chance for Redemption

For fans of European football, the Asia Invitational will look a lot like the Europe League. The tournament offers some of the best Eastern teams in professional League of Legends the chance to keep their fighting spirit alive a little longer rather than wrap their season up prematurely after failing to qualify to Worlds 2025.

With an attractive prize pool and some very strong names in attendance, the 2025 Asia Invitational will serve as the perfect warm-up for viewers awaiting the arrival of Worlds, and the perfect shot at redemption the teams that take the stage.

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Featured image credit: LCK

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