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T1 End 2026 Season Without a Title for First Time Since 2021
T1 have finished the 2026 League of Legends season without winning a Riot Games tournament title for the first time since 2021. Their last opportunity disappeared on Sunday, November 8, when Bilibili Gaming defeated them 3-1 in the Worlds 2026 semifinals.
The result also completed an unusual season for the six-time world champions: T1 did not reach a single tournament final in 2026, something that had not happened since 2018. The title drought specifically covers Riot Games competitions, although T1 also left the independently organized Esports World Cup without a trophy.
Four Straight Years of Titles Come to an End
T1's previous trophyless season came in 2021, when they reached the LCK Summer final but lost to DWG KIA. In 2022, they went undefeated in the LCK Spring regular season before beating Gen.G 3-1 for the championship. They then lifted the Summoner's Cup in 2023, 2024 and 2025, becoming the first team to win three consecutive League of Legends World Championships.
That run included the 2024 Esports World Cup, another title outside Riot's tournament circuit. It also included four consecutive Worlds final appearances from 2022 through 2025, with a runner-up finish followed by three championships. T1 entered 2026 as the defending world champions, but their domestic and international campaigns never produced another final.
How T1's 2026 Season Fell Short
There were warning signs as early as the 2026 LCK Cup. T1 finished the group stage with a perfect 5-0 series record, then lost 3-1 to BNK FearX in the playoffs. A subsequent 3-2 defeat to Dplus KIA, after T1 had led the series 2-0, ended their run in fourth place. They also missed out on First Stand.
At the Mid-Season Invitational, T1 fell 3-2 to BLG in their opening upper-bracket series. They then lost 3-1 to G2 Esports in the lower bracket, ending their tournament before the final weekend.
Another setback followed at the Esports World Cup in July. T1 defeated Hanwha Life Esports in the quarterfinals but were knocked out of the title race by Karmine Corp, losing their semifinal 2-1. A further 2-1 defeat to Gen.G in the third-place match left them fourth.
Back in South Korea, T1 reached the lower-bracket final of the LCK 2026 playoffs, one series away from the championship match. Hanwha Life Esports won that series 3-1, leaving T1 in third place as Gen.G went on to claim the domestic title.
Worlds Could Not Salvage the Season
T1 had repeatedly recovered from difficult domestic campaigns by finding their best form at Worlds. In 2026, they appeared to be following that pattern again. A 3-1 quarterfinal victory over Karmine Corp secured another top-four finish, extending their record of reaching at least the semifinals in all 11 Worlds appearances.
However, their run ended against BLG. The 3-1 semifinal defeat denied T1 a fifth straight Worlds final and ended their three-year reign as world champions. It also marked the first time an LPL team had beaten T1 in a Worlds best-of-five, breaking a 13-series unbeaten record.
After the defeat, Ryu “Keria” Min-seok addressed the wider picture in an interview with Strafe Esports: “Looking back at the year as a whole, we didn't make it to any finals.”
Keria also spoke about his first year sharing the bot lane with Kim “Peyz” Su-hwan, who replaced Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong ahead of the season. He said he had hoped to win a title with Peyz and wanted the team to deliver better performances next year.
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Featured image credit: Riot Games
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