League of Legends Pro League (LPL) China moving towards the second split of 2025. They’ll be embracing a new format and structure as the LPL Split 2 2025 begins on March 22. Here’s what you should know about the upcoming LPL Split 2 2025.
New Format: Four Stages of Competition
LPL teams face a complete format overhaul for the upcoming LPL Split 2 2025 tournament. They divided the competition into four stages which are: Group Stage, the Rumble Stage, Knight’s Rivals, and the Knockout Stage. Based on the LPL’s Weibo account, they’ll be adopting the format change along with the “Fearless Draft” system. Earlier this year, several regional leagues already implemented this following the announcement from Riot Games.
Moreover, the new format also changes the process of how the representatives for MSI 2025 are chosen. The winner and runner-up will get to represent China in the upcoming tournament in Vancouver, Canada. Plus, winning teams also secure spots for the Esports World Cup happening days after the MSI. The EWC 2025 will happen on July 16 to July 20, 2025.
Group Stage: The Initial Battleground
The results of their performance from Split 1 carry through the Group Stage of the LPL Split 2 2025 tournament. The Group Stage starts on March 22, and runs for eight days, with four groups competing. It’ll be in a single round-robin format, each match played in best-of-one (Bo1).
The first four days of matches will have teams in Suzhou, likely at Yangcheng International Esports Center. It gives an advantage to LNG Esports as it serves as their home venue. However, don’t expect teams to go lightly right off the bat given how high the stakes are.
- The top two teams from each group will advance to Group Ascend
- The last-place team in each group will drop to Group Nirvana
- The third-place teams will battle in a promotion series for two additional spots in Group Ascend
They’ll start the promotion series with BO1 matches during the first round. Then, teams will compete in BO3 matches under a double-elimination format. On the other hand, the Group Nirvana will consist of two teams that fail to advance.
Rumble Stage: The Path Diverges
All sixteen teams will dare on the Rumble Stage, including ten teams from Group Ascend and six from Group Nirvana. Further, the double round-robin format challenges teams in Group Ascend while Group Nirvana quickly competes in single round-robin. Nonetheless, all matches for the Rumble Stage will be in the best-of-three (Bo3) series.
- The top four teams (Group Ascend) qualify directly for the Knockout Stage
- The bottom six teams (Group Ascend) and the top two (Group Nirvana) advance to the Knight’s Rivals stage
- The bottom two teams (Group Nirvana) face elimination not just from Split 2, but from Split 3 as well
It’ll be crucial for teams to avoid the bottom two positions as it’ll risk their spot for the LPL Split 3. If they perform poorly in Split 2, it’ll likely end the team’s competitive year as early as May.
Final Stages: Knight’s Rivals and Knockout
Towards the final stages, fans can expect even tougher challenges for teams joining the stages, Knight’s Rivals and Knockout. The bottom six teams of Group Ascend compete against the top two of Group Nirvana in the Knight’s Rivals stage. Only the top four teams can advance to the Knockout stage, completely eliminating the rest of the teams from the split.
The remaining stage will follow the classic double-elimination format, having all the matches in a best-of-five series. During this stage, the top four teams in Group Ascent get to choose their opponents according to their standings. Afterward, only the two victorious teams will play for the grand final on June 14, 2025. This determines who will be the LPL champion and representatives in MSI 2025 and EWC 2025.
Conclusion
Toughen up your support for teams in the upcoming LPL Split 2 2025. It’ll be a long journey ahead for teams, requiring mental fortitude more than ever with the new format. A split mistake can end their competitive season early as they get disqualified to enter LPL Split 3. Definitely, you’ll see these teams with desperation and will more than ever.
