All LCK Teams Qualified for Worlds 2026

The 2026 World Championship is fast approaching, with the tournament set to take place in the United States from October 15 to November 14. 19 teams from across the globe will compete for the title, with the most prestigious league in the world firmly represented by four seeds in the Main Event. The LCK will send T1, Hanwha Life Esports, Gen.G, and Dplus KIA.

In the League of Legends Champions Korea, the playoffs are still underway, with all four of these teams still in contention to secure the best possible seeding for Worlds, but above all, to be crowned LCK champions. The title carries immense prestige, especially after Korea was reduced to just one split throughout the year.

Gen.G and HLE have a slight advantage over T1 and DK, as the two teams in the Upper Bracket Final cannot finish lower than the third seed. T1 and DK, meanwhile, will have to fight their way through the lower bracket, with T1 having been reverse-swept by Choi "Zeus" Woo-je and his teammates, while Heo "ShowMaker" Su's squad have had to battle their way through the entire lower bracket, defeating BNK FEARX and KT Rolster along the way, who will therefore represent Korea at the Demacia Cup Global Invitational alongside HANJIN BRION.

The LCK is the most successful region in Worlds history, having won ten of the competition's 15 editions: six for T1, two for Samsung, one for DRX, and one for DAMWON Gaming. The region's longest streak of dominance came between 2013 and 2017, when LCK teams won five consecutive titles.

This year, the region has an opportunity to match that feat, with DRX having lifted the trophy in 2022 and T1 currently being three-time defending champions. Gen.G will make their eighth Worlds appearance, and their seventh consecutive one, as they look to finally reach the top of the world. Meanwhile, HLE enter the tournament as one of the biggest contenders after being crowned Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) champions.

DK, meanwhile, struggled in the playoffs despite a strong regular season. At Worlds, they will look to build something around their relatively young roster, but the 2020 world champions are clearly not the favorites. As for T1, seeing them at Worlds automatically makes them one of the tournament's biggest threats, and they will undoubtedly be the team to beat.

This year, the LCK has clearly looked weaker than usual. Gen.G were defeated by G2 at the First Stand, T1 fell to G2 at MSI and to Karmine Corp at the Esports World Cup, while the First Stand itself was won by LPL representatives Bilibili Gaming. This is therefore far from a year of complete LCK dominance, and the region looks more vulnerable than usual. It remains to be seen whether the Worlds trophy will leave Korea this year.