LCK Cup 2025: Intense battles, strategic drafts, global audience surge

The LCK Cup 2025 has set the stage for an exciting year in competitive League of Legends. This preseason tournament, organized by Riot Games, serves as a qualifier for First Stand 2025, where top teams battle for seeding at the Mid-Season Invitational. 

The LCK Cup’s format is straight-up genius. Teams get split into two groups and face off against squads from the other group, with the group racking up the most wins snagging the top playoff seed. But here’s the kicker: the Fearless Draft system. You can only pick each champion once per series, forcing players to strategize like never before. Inspired by China’s LDL league, this setup cranks up the intensity and keeps every match feeling fresh and unpredictable. 

The tournament's first week drew impressive viewership, amassing 8.4 million hours watched and averaging 320,259 concurrent viewers. Peak viewership surpassed 1 million during T1’s clash against Dplus KIA, where Dplus secured a 2-1 victory. Other matches, like T1 vs. DRX, garnered attention but couldn’t match the hype of T1’s roster debut. 

While overall viewership dropped compared to LCK Spring 2024, Vietnamese audiences surged thanks to TikTok’s growing popularity, showcasing the global appeal of the LCK Cup.