Worlds 2026: LCK, Always ready for the challenge

Starting October 15, 2026 League of Legends World Championship kicks off in the United States, with four teams heading from the LCK: 1st seed , 2nd seed and MSI champions , 3rd seed and three-time reigning champions , and 4th seed .

Having claimed the World Championship title for the past four years, these four teams fly out from Korea aiming to protect the reputation of the strongest league, each carrying a different goal.

Gen.G have always been named among the strongest teams in the LCK, but the World Championship has constantly remained just out of reach. While they have stacked up regional league titles and an MSI victory, they have not even stepped onto the finals stage at Worlds since 2018. Entering the season with the same roster as last year, they also experienced a challenging year. They won the LCK Cup but failed to qualify for MSI, and also missed out on lifting the trophy at the Esports World Cup.

However, the Tigers still hunted down their opponents sharply. Bouncing back in the Summer Split, they head to the biggest tournament once again as the LCK first seed after winning the LCK Grand Finals. Jeong “” Ji-hoon, the 2026 LCK regular season MVP, is still chasing the Summoner's Cup among his countless trophies. Having competed in every tournament since his Worlds debut in 2019, the midlaner aims to shake off the narrative that follows him at the World Championship.

At the 2016 World Championship held in the United States, ROX Tigers concluded their tournament in the semifinals after a historic battle against SK Telecom T1. Even after Hanwha Life Esports inherited their history for ten years, this record still stands as the organization's best result. Having stopped in the quarterfinals for the past two years, they are now aiming for a higher stage. With Seo “” Jin-hyeok and Lee “” Min-hyeong joining to pursue more aggressive snowballing, Hanwha Life Esports had an unstable start by being the first team eliminated from the LCK Cup.

But they found their destructive form again starting from the regular season and charged forward by capturing the organization's first international title at MSI. In the LCK, they hoped for smooth sailing by securing Worlds qualification earliest, yet they had to settle for another runner-up finish in the LCK Grand Finals. Hanwha Life Esports enters the World Championship ranked first in the official Global Power Rankings. Having completed their preparation by winning gold medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Choi “” Woo-je, Kim “” Geon-woo, and Gumayusi want to add one more Worlds title to their records. Can Hanwha Life Esports, which brought together the best players to win, finally bear fruit?

Before the World Championship begins, many always doubt their form, but in the end, it is always them standing. T1 returns to the World Championship, aiming to break records once again. The 2022 United States tournament, where they watched DRX make their miracle run, was a memory they wanted to forget, but that defeat served as a stepping stone for T1's historic Worlds three-peat.

Their journey attracts attention this year as well, celebrated through projects like the "Know My Name" music video honoring GOAT Lee “” Sang-hyeok. Adding a new style of team play with Kim “” Su-hwan joining the team, T1 maintains the aura of always being considered a championship contender despite regretful domestic results. The path was never smooth. Unlike the past three years, when they made it to the finals at either MSI or the LCK, this year's T1 received more criticism regarding their performance. Can they repeat history once again and make their name known?

In 2025, Dplus KIA failed to qualify for the World Championship for the first time in six years. They missed the international stage for the first time since their promotion to the LCK, looking as though they were losing competitive strength amid the steady growth of other powerhouses. Holding the youngest roster in the LCK in 2026, Dplus KIA received little attention before the season. Just as exhaustion set in from declining results and a weakening roster name value, Dplus KIA flipped general expectations with a style true to themselves. They defeated their long-time rival Gen.G, and by winning the 2026 Esports World Cup, they lifted their first trophy since the 2021 LCK Summer.

Riding this momentum, Dplus KIA established themselves as the strongest team in rounds 3 and 4 of the LCK, but finished as the fourth seed amid unstable play in the playoffs. However, thanks to the LCK starting directly from the Swiss Stage, they appear to have enough time to refine their form. Built around veteran one-club player Heo “ShowMaker” Su with one of the youngest rosters in the LCK, Dplus KIA aims to recreate the history of their iconic 2020 championship run. Expectations are also gathering around Jeon “” Si-woo, Shin “” Geum-jae, and Oh “” Hyeong-seok ahead of their first World Championship debut.