T1 climbed back to the top of the world. In the 2025 League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) final held on the 9th at Dong'anhu Sports Park in Chengdu, China, T1 beat rival kt Rolster 3-2 in sets, achieving the tournament's first-ever three straight titles (three-peat) and its sixth championship overall. And at the center, as always, was "Faker," Lee Sang-hyeok, 29. The Veteran in his 12th year since debut played in every set of the final, steadying the team and once again proving the value of the names "the Messi of LoL" and "a living legend."
This Worlds final was the first-ever "telecom derby," a clash between two teams under Korean telecommunications companies, and it produced a classic that will go down in esports history. A final between Korean teams had already guaranteed a fourth straight Worlds title for the LCK (Korea's league), but the showdown between T1, seeking to complete its "dynasty," and KT, chasing its first title since the club's founding, drew the eyes of fans worldwide.
In set 1, T1 overturned an early deficit. KT took first blood with "Bdd" Gwak Bo-seong's Ryze, gaining momentum, but in a mid-game team fight around dragon, "Faker" Lee Sang-hyeok's Taliyah landed a precise "Seismic Shove," flipping the flow. T1 then secured Atakan (a neutral boss monster that grants a powerful combat buff) and Baron (a boss monster that boosts team fighting power) in succession and broke the nexus in 36 minutes to seize the lead.
In set 2, KT struck back. "Cuzz" Moon Woo-chan's Vi and "Bdd" Gwak Bo-seong's Mel held the initiative from the start, taking the Rift Herald and dragon in a row, and overpowered T1 with explosive damage in each fight. With stable macro, KT took the win in 40 minutes to tie the match 1-1.
In set 3, KT's momentum continued. "Cuzz" Moon Woo-chan's Dr. Mundo tanked perfectly and made his presence felt in every skirmish, while "Bdd" Gwak Bo-seong's Syndra landed decisive skills to pick off T1's core threats. Fending off T1's counterattacks in fights around Baron, KT closed it out in 36 minutes to take a 2-1 lead in sets.
Backed into a corner, T1 produced a reversal in set 4. "Faker" Lee Sang-hyeok's Anivia and "Oner" Moon Hyun-jun's Nocturne played decisive roles in every objective fight. "Oner" Moon Hyun-jun stole the dragon twice in a row to seize control, and "Keria" Ryu Min-seok's Renata broke KT's formation with her ultimate, changing the flow of the fights. When T1 secured dragon soul (a sustained stat-enhancing effect) in the final dragon fight, the tide turned completely. T1 destroyed KT's nexus in 29 minutes to make it 2-2.
The final set 5 completed T1's dynasty. Early on, "Doran" Choi Hyun-joon and "Oner" Moon Hyun-jun combined to catch "Perfect" Lee Seung-min for first blood, then secured the Rift Herald and the second dragon to control the game's pace. In the third dragon fight, the teams traded two kills for two, but in the Atakan battle, the focus of "Faker" Lee Sang-hyeok and the firepower of "Gumayusi" Lee Min-hyung shone. With perfect engages and focus fire, T1 shattered KT's front line and scored an ace, then took the dragon as well. Riding the momentum, T1 ramped up lane pressure to break KT's defense, then in the final team fight pierced KT's base and destroyed the nexus (the core structure of the enemy base; its destruction results in victory) to complete the record.
With the win, T1 achieved the first three straight Worlds titles (2023, 2024, 2025) in tournament history along with its sixth championship overall. In particular, "Faker" Lee Sang-hyeok set an unprecedented record as a six-time individual champion. Debuting in 2013 at age 17 and seizing his first world champion title, he still holds the top spot in the world 12 years later.
KT, though finishing runner-up, reached the Worlds final stage for the first time in the club's 13-year history and delivered the most impressive season in team history. "Bdd" Gwak Bo-seong, "Cuzz" Moon Woo-chan, "Perfect" Lee Seung-min, "Deftdam" Seo Dae-gil, and "Peter" Jeong Yun-su each showed top-tier skill in their roles and earned praise from fans around the world.
With this tournament, Korea extended its Worlds championship streak to four years, following DRX in 2022 and T1 in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The LCK produced its ninth Worlds champion overall, once again proving itself the "kingdom of esports."