Which region is the best in League of Legends? A 2025 regional power breakdown

The competitive landscape has started to crystallise, with the League of Legends 2025 competitive season nearly halfway through. After seeing revamped rosters, balance changes, and a fresh batch of regional rivalries, it’s finally possible to draw some lines between the major regions worldwide. 

We have had an initial taste of how leagues compare to one another at First Stand, but on that occasion, it only came down to individual teams, which might not represent the entire region’s power. For example, leagues like the LTA (Legends of the Americas) and LCP (League Championship Pacific) still grapple with internal disparities after recent mergers brought different leagues together with vastly different competitive levels. 

With two teams per region heading to this year’s Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), regional comparison matters. Two additional Worlds slots are up for grabs and will be assigned to the two best regions at the tournament. 

As we approach the second international tournament of the year, here’s where each region stands – and who needs to catch up.

While we’ve seen some Western teams close the gap to the East in the past international tournaments, Asian esports organisations are still the ones dictating the League of Legends scene.

After a few years in which Korea and China exchanged crowns, the 2024 season was won by the LCK, who had won MSI with Gen.G and the World Championship with T1.

The start of the 2025 season was not much different, as Hanwha Life Esports dominated the First Stand competition in front of the home crowd. 

Behind them, however, we saw major upsets, with the LCP and LEC both finishing in front of the LPL, with LTA in last place. Nonetheless, First Stand only featured one team per region, making it hard to claim that the LPL is no longer the second force in the world. 

Throughout the past few years, teams have typically tried to optimize their gameplay by studying and emulating what the top Korean teams were doing. This is because the LCK teams are known for their impeccable teamfighting and general coordination among the players.

Their emphasis on clean macro play, disciplined rotations, and low-risk, high-reward execution has allowed them to consistently be at the top of the world in the past three years. 

And it seems like the trend will continue this year. 

Even though the LPL came fourth at First Stand, they should still be the second-best region in the world due to the region has depth in terms of strong teams. Aside from Top Esports (TES), there are at least two other formidable lineups, JDG (JDG) and BiliBili Gaming (BLG), which can take the fight to the LCK teams. BLG almost beat T1 at Worlds, so it’s not like the LPL is far off. 

The main difference between China and Korea is the amount of chaos in their gameplay. Teams rely a lot more on mechanical outplays and heavy skirmishing to gain leads, as opposed to creating favorable conditions through macro. This is a double-edged sword, and the additional volatility that comes with it usually makes the LPL less consistent compared to the LCK. 

Europe comes from two disappointing years, as no LEC team was able to qualify in the top 8 at Worlds. While the results haven’t really come along, there were several instances where the EU could get close to competing with the Eastern teams. And it did this year when Karmine Corp took down Top Esports at First Stand.

The common trend among Western regions is that it’s incredibly tough to beat the LCK and LPL teams by mimicking a similar playstyle. This is because Eastern teams are consistently cleaner in terms of mechanics, so the only way for the LEC to prevail is to disrupt them with creative drafting, especially now that Fearless Draft is implemented. 

The issue is that when stakes are high, it naturally puts a lot of pressure on the teams, and sometimes, it can lead to disaster. 

Before the LEC, the LTA (or former LCS) teams were the ones doing a lot of experimenting on the international stage. It nearly worked out for FlyQuest against Gen.G last year, bringing them to a close five-game series. 

The main issue with the LTA this year, however, is the difference in the gap between the top teams and the rest. There is already a big difference in performance between the North and South Conferences, and even among the LTA North teams, the disparity is substantial. 

This makes it hard for the LTA to get stronger as a region since there are only a few squads that can push each other’s limits. After a poor showing at First Stand, the LTA’s performance at MSI will give us a clearer picture of where they stand compared to other regions.

The LCP was heavily affected by the merger of the minor regions, creating a clear distinction between the top squad and the rest.

Former PCS team CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO) has been dominating the region and had a great showing at First Stand, coming close to beating the LEC and finishing third in the standings. Their playstyle is quite similar to the LCK in terms of how they create leads in the early-mid game. There isn’t much competition in the region, which is why it’s hard to gauge the league’s strength. 

As it stands, LCK still holds the crown among all competitors, but the LPL is closer than what has been shown in this first part of the 2025 competitive season.

While the top Western teams can put up a fight with their Eastern counterparts, the overall strength of the two regions is still lower, with Europe having more competitive lineups as opposed to the LTA. 

The LCP, despite having CFO as a great contender, is still the weakest region overall due to the presence of weak teams from smaller regions like the LJL (Japanese League) and LCO (Oceanic League). 

With the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational looming in, the tournament should give us clearer indication on how much of a gap there is among all regions, and set the benchmark for the year-end League of Legends World Championship.