ACT Esports Club exits KWC 2025 after loss to Nongshim RedForce

ACT Esports Club exits KWC 2025 after loss to Nongshim RedForce

RIYADH — Philippine squad A.C.T. Esports Club bows out of the Honor of Kings World Cup 2025 after a hard-fought 2-1 series loss to Korea’s Nongshim RedForce.

The team finished at the bottom of their group following back-to-back 1-2 defeats, including their earlier outing against Malaysia’s Alpha Gaming.

Austin “Nitsua” Arroyo started the series in place of regular midlaner James “Shy” Hong in a bid to shake things up for the Filipinos.

Nongshim took Game 1 decisively behind Han “HAKU” Ji-hoon. The junger’s Pei secured six kills and one assist while contributing nearly a quarter of the team’s total damage. John Christian “JC1” Binagay struggled throughout the 15-minute opener, finishing without a kill and conceding two deaths.

A.C.T. bounced back in Game 2 after a grueling 22-minute clash. Despite another strong showing from HAKU’s Augran, who tallied seven kills and two assists, Nongshim faltered after a failed engage near the Shadow Overlord. Prince Cedie “Switch” Villamor led the way for the Filipinos with four kills and three assists on Fatih. JC1 redeemed himself with a 3/3/3 performance on Loong.

The momentum didn’t carry over to the decider, as Nongshim dominated from start to finish. Farm laner Lee “SIRI” Hoom-min spearheaded the Korean victory with a breakout performance on Flowborn. SIRI tallied four kills and eight assists as the newly released hero shone in its international debut.

A.C.T. concluded their KWC 2025 campaign in the 15th–18th bracket alongside fellow PKL representative Blacklist International. They took home US$60,000 in prize money.