LTA Cross-Conference 2025: Turneringsresultater, Team Liquids triumf og en uventet finale

The new league, League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA), was announced on October 31, 2024, and began its first season in 2025. LTA was created by merging the previously existing leagues: LCS (North America), CBLOL (Brazil), and LLA (Latin America). The creation of this new league aims to promote the game and League of Legends esports in these regions, giving already established teams more opportunities to gain experience on the international stage.

On January 25, 2025, the tournament kicked off with the first split and concluded on February 24, 2025, with Cross-Conference. Today, we will review the tournament, how it unfolded, who emerged victorious, and discuss the most exciting moments.

LTA Cross-Conference Tournament Format

LTA Cross-Conference 2025 was the first major tournament of the new season, held in São Paulo, Brazil. The tournament featured eight teams, with the top four from both the North and South divisions of LTA, selected based on the results of the first split.

Tournament Participants:

Qualified through LTA South 2025 Split 1:

• Isurus Estral
• Leviatán
• LOUD
• paiN Gaming

Qualified through LTA North 2025 Split 1:

• Team Liquid
• FlyQuest
• 100 Thieves
• Cloud9

The tournament followed a double-elimination playoff format and was, of course, held offline at Riot Games Arena. All matches, except for the Grand Final, were played in a best-of-3 format (up to two wins), while the final match was played in a best-of-5 format (up to three wins). The total prize pool for the tournament was $40,000.

How the Road to the Finals Unfolded

According to analysts, 100 Thieves were the undisputed favorites to win the tournament. They finished the regular season in first place in the North Conference, securing victories over Team Liquid with a 2:1 score and Cloud9 in the upper bracket final.

Among other strong contenders were FlyQuest and Isurus Estral. FlyQuest demonstrated consistent performance throughout the first split, while Isurus Estral dominated the South Conference, making them serious competitors in the tournament.

Analysts considered paiN Gaming and LOUD to be the tournament's underdogs. Due to their lack of international experience, their level of play was significantly lower compared to Team Liquid and 100 Thieves.

The quarterfinal matches of LTA Cross-Conference 2025 lived up to expectations. 100 Thieves defeated paiN Gaming with a 2:0 score, FlyQuest secured a victory over Leviatán, and Cloud9 also won against LOUD with a 2:0 result. The only match with some intrigue was Team Liquid vs. Isurus Estral. Despite Isurus Estral going undefeated in LTA South 2025 Split 1, they were still not on par with the North region's level of play. As a result, Isurus Estral lost to Team Liquid with a 1:2 score and were eliminated from the tournament.

The semifinals were intense, as teams fully understood what was at stake and fought until the very end. The matchups featured 100 Thieves vs. FlyQuest and Team Liquid vs. Cloud9. Each match was a highly contested battle, and the victors were 100 Thieves and Team Liquid, making them the first-ever finalists in LTA Cross-Conference history, where it would be decided who would represent their region at First Stand and, of course, who would be the first-ever LTA Cross-Conference champion.

LTA Cross-Conference 2025 Grand Final: Unexpected Tournament Outcome

100 Thieves, the tournament favorites, had not lost a single match in LTA North Split 1 or LTA Cross-Conference before the grand final against Team Liquid. The teams had previously faced off in Split 1, where 100 Thieves secured a 2-1 victory, sending Team Liquid to the lower bracket. These factors made 100 Thieves the clear favorites, both for the tournament as a whole and for this particular matchup.

However, Team Liquid had completely different plans for the final. Delivering a flawless performance, Team Liquid dominated their opponents with a 3:0 victory, leaving 100 Thieves without a single chance for a comeback. Two of the three maps ended before the 30-minute mark, showcasing Team Liquid’s high level of play and excellent preparation against their opponent.

As a result, Team Liquid became the first-ever LTA Cross-Conference 2025 champions and received a direct invite to First Stand. The $40,000 prize pool was distributed among the top four teams, with 100 Thieves earning $20,000, while FlyQuest and Cloud9 each received $10,000.