The LPL World Championship qualifiers are down to the final best-of-five match, marking the end of the competition. On the previous match day, JDG defeated WBG 3-1 to advance to the second round of the losers’ bracket, setting up a clash with IG. The winner between these two will become the fourth seed for the LPL region. Judging by their current form in the play-ins, IG looks quite vulnerable. Scout had been underperforming before, but he played exceptionally well in this BO5 against Weibo.

However, JDG hasn’t lost to IG in any of the three splits this year, showing a bit of a counter-matchup. As long as Rookie regains his form, IG still has a chance to win. But considering their last series against Top Esports, where IG prepared for ten days without showing much new strategy, winning this match seems tough. JDG is likely to win this crucial game after a year of losses. The outcome of this BO5 will depend on who performs better on the day.

FNC advances to the World Championship.

In the European LEC region, the losers’ bracket semifinals kicked off in the early morning. FNC faced KC and won convincingly 3-1. After advancing to the losers’ bracket final, FNC secured a top-three finish in the playoffs and qualified for the World Championship. Their next match is against MKOI. If they win, FNC will secure at least the second seed and still have a shot at the championship against G2. If they lose, FNC will be the third seed from the LEC region.

KC started strong this year but then declined. They won the first split, reached the top three in the second, and only made the semifinals in the third, missing out on the World Championship. Their Korean top laner, Canna, performed poorly, being repeatedly solo-killed by Oskar in four games. After this year, “Ratboy” might be out of a job since very few top laners in the LEC have been dominated by FNC’s top laner like that.

IG’s top and mid laners renew contracts for one more year.

IG is about to face a do-or-die match. Before the season started, Doinb joked about Ale on stream, revealing that Ale won’t be joining IG next year. The top and mid lane for IG next year will still be TheShy and Rookie. This info reportedly came from IG’s shareholder, Mr. Zhang, so it’s quite credible. The one-year renewal for the top and mid lanes was expected since TheShy has said multiple times that he only wants to play alongside Rookie.

The LPL’s popularity is worrying right now. If they don’t win the championship this year, things could get worse. So the officials definitely don’t want Rookie and TheShy to retire. With them on the team, IG maintains a stable fanbase. However, Rookie’s current form suggests that if he continues playing, he might seriously damage his legacy. It’s still unclear if other positions will see roster changes, but personally, I think IG should at least keep Gazi.

LNG’s Zuowu faces unemployment rumors.

LNG is undoubtedly the biggest money-losing club in the LPL this year. Zuowu, with one of the top 5 investments in the league, ended up second to last in the resurrection group, performing worse than even LGD and UP, who were tanking. It’s unclear who they signed during the transfer window. Currently, LNG’s official roster only lists two top laners, Zika and Alley; it seems others have left or been released, including Zuowu, who was apparently let go by management.

Insider Hongcha revealed that former JDG manager Wan Lei will join LNG to replace Zuowu. Someone has to take responsibility for LNG’s poor results. This move is understandable given the huge investment with no results. However, Wan Lei is quite notorious: in 2023, he tried to sign Zeus but let 369 slip away, then spent big to sign Yagao but lost LeftHand, and as a result, JDG failed to qualify for Worlds last year.

Conclusion:

With FNC’s qualification for Worlds, all the teams directly entering the main event of S15 are confirmed. The last Swiss stage spot depends on the outcome of the IG vs. JDG match. The winner will challenge T1 for a main event berth. As a viewer, I’m eager to see a T1 vs. IG showdown. But with IG’s current form, beating JDG looks quite challenging.

So, what do you think? Will IG keep their current roster next year?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and discuss!