Korean Dominance Continues in League of Legends Worlds Finals
The LCK (League of Legends Champions Korea) is extending its impressive streak in the esports world as T1 secures a semifinal win over JD Gaming. This marks the fourth year in a row that a Korean team will be present in the Worlds finals, with T1 representing the region for the second consecutive season. On November 19, they will face off against Weibo Gaming in a bid for redemption from last year’s near-win.
In the 2020s, a team from the LCK has made it to the finals in every season. DAMWON, DRX, and T1 have all reached the pinnacle match, with T1 being the only one yet to win the Summoner’s Cup in this decade.
League of Legends Worlds Finals Participants and Outcomes in the 2020s
| Year | Champion | Runner-up |
| 2020 | DAMWON Gaming (LCK) | Suning (LPL) |
| 2021 | Edward Gaming (LPL) | DWG KIA (LCK) |
| 2022 | DRX (LCK) | T1 (LCK) |
| 2023 | TBD | TBD |
In the 2010s, Korean teams had a strong presence in the Worlds finals, but the streak ended in 2018 and 2019 with Chinese and European teams dominating those seasons. However, T1 (formerly SK Telecom T1) consistently represented the LCK in the finals throughout the previous decade, reaching the last match four out of six seasons from 2012 to 2017.
T1’s upcoming appearance in the World finals will mark the second time in franchise history that they have reached the finals in back-to-back seasons. They previously achieved this feat in 2015 and 2016, winning consecutive titles over fellow LCK teams KOO Tigers and Samsung Galaxy.
Surprisingly, this will be the first time in the past 10 seasons that T1 will play a Worlds finals match against a non-domestic opponent. Although they won their first international title in 2013 against Royal Club, subsequent finals in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2022 featured matches against other Korean teams.
Three out of the four seasons in the 2020s have seen the World finals contested between Korean and Chinese teams. Similar to Worlds 2020, which took place in Shanghai, next week’s series will have home-field advantage for one of the regions. T1 will have the opportunity to win it all on home soil as the final will be played in Seoul, marking the first time that T1 mid laner Faker will compete for the Summoner’s Cup in his home country.
T1 and Weibo Gaming will clash in the 2023 Worlds final on Sunday, November 19.
League of Legends, Worlds finals, LCK, T1, Weibo Gaming, esports.