LoL - LCK: T1 qualifies for MSI after a clean sweep against Hanwha Life Esports to close out the Road to MSI

T1 qualified for MSI 2025 after an impressive clean sweep against Hanwha Life Esports in the final BO5 of the Road to MSI. They will represent Korea at the second international event of the year alongside Gen.G, who secured the region’s first seed after also defeating HLE last Friday. Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon was once again named MVP following his high-level performances throughout the series.

For the third consecutive year—and since the introduction of the new MSI format—Korea will once again be represented by T1 and Gen.G. T1’s qualification came with an air of ease as they dismantled HLE in the final BO5 of the Road to MSI. Game 1 was completely one-sided, with a Kalista-Neeko botlane that worked flawlessly and a dominant performance from Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun on Wukong, finishing 10/1/8. Game 2 was the most contested of the series, with HLE holding a gold lead for a large portion. But it was Doran’s Ambessa that turned the tide—he led the damage charts with over 42,000 and landed clutch ultimates on HLE’s carries to reverse the momentum and give T1 their first match point.

Game 3 was a complete stomp. T1 closed it out in just 25 minutes, nearly achieving a perfect game: 29 kills to 3, with HLE unable to take a single turret or secure any major objective. It was a brutal display of dominance, and T1 didn’t even need the soul to finish the game or the series. With this clean 3-0, T1 locks in their fourth consecutive appearance at MSI.

For this LCK split, there will be no grand final, meaning T1 and Gen.G won’t face each other before heading to Canada. Both teams will go straight to the MSI main stage, skipping the Play-In phase thanks to Korea’s victory at the First Stand a few months ago, secured by Hanwha Life Esports.

As usual, T1 deliver when it matters. While their regular season often falls short of fans’ expectations, the team rarely—if ever—misses international events in recent years, aside from the First Stand. This consistency comes from players and coaching staff stepping up when it counts, as demonstrated during this Road to MSI, where they completely dominated KT Rolster and HLE.