World Championship 2025 TES Preview: Can They Shed the International Chokers Mantle?

International events have not gone in TES’s favor. They managed to win their first event, but have since struggled to produce results. In the 2020 World Championship, they entered as favorites but were defeated by the runner-up, Suning. In 2021 and 2023, they missed out on international competition entirely. The 2022 World Championship would be a dark event in their history as losses to Rogue and GAM Esports knocked the team out in the Group Stage. At the 2024 MSI, Top Esports would be swept 3-0 by G2 Esports after narrowly losing to GenG in the Upper Bracket. The World Championship that year would be another disappointment as they crashed out 3-0 in the Quarterfinals to T1.

The First Stand event was where TES could prove themselves. However, in the Group Stage, they would lose to Karmine Corp and CTBC Flying Oyster. Their only series victory came against Team Liquid. Their poor performances meant they faced eventual champions Hanwha Life in the Playoffs, where they lost 3-0. The mantle looms over TES, but can they overcome it this year?

JackeyLove’s Health Issues

After a successful regular season for TES and JackeyLove, he stated on a livestream that he is unsure how long he can continue playing due to health concerns. JackeyLove has Chronic Tinnitus, which severely hampers his ability to play and keep focus for long periods. Despite those issues, JackeyLove was awarded the 1st Team All-Pro and Regular Season MVP. However, the health issues are bound to affect him in some way during the World Championship. How much that will have an impact is yet to be seen. Given his performances and capability to be one of the best bot laners in the world, TES will need him at top form to lift the Summoner’s Cup.

Expectations

Prepare for disappointment with TES. While they have the players to go for a deep run in the World Championship, we have been here before. They always disappoint at an international event. If they manage to make the top four, that would be expected for the players on the roster. However, given that it is TES, it will be a surprise.

Upcoming Journey

TES starts the World Championship in the Swiss Stage. However, their pool allocation is determined by the Play-In result. If IG wins, they will move to Pool 2, where their opponents are: Hanwha Life, Movistar KOI, Vivo Keyd Stars, and Team Secret Whales. If T1 wins, they find themselves in Pool 3, where they could face GenG Esports, G2 Esports, FlyQuest, and CFO.