T1 Have Reached the Top 4 in All 11 Worlds Appearances

T1 Have Reached the Top 4 in All 11 Worlds Appearances

7 Nov, 2026, 03:04

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Last updated: 7 Nov, 2026, 03:04

T1 have reached the Top 4 in all 11 of their Worlds appearances. Since making their debut in 2013 as SK Telecom T1, the South Korean organization have never failed to reach the semifinals of a League of Legends World Championship they attended.

That record continued on Friday, November 6, when T1 defeated Karmine Corp 3-1 in the Worlds 2026 quarterfinals. The reigning champions are now one series away from another Grand Final as they pursue a fourth consecutive world title, having won the tournament in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Across their previous ten appearances, T1 won six championships, finished as runners-up twice and were eliminated in the semifinals on two occasions. Their 2026 campaign is still ongoing, but another Top 4 finish is already guaranteed.

Every T1 Result in Worlds History

T1's World Championship history began with their first title in 2013. Since then, the organization have competed at Worlds ten more times, including this year's tournament, and reached at least the semifinals on every occasion.

  • 2013: Champions, defeating Royal Club 3-0 in the final.
  • 2015: Champions, defeating KOO Tigers 3-1.
  • 2016: Champions, defeating Samsung Galaxy 3-2.
  • 2017: Runners-up, losing 3-0 to Samsung Galaxy in the final.
  • 2019: Semifinalists, eliminated 3-1 by G2 Esports.
  • 2021: Semifinalists, eliminated 3-2 by DWG KIA.
  • 2022: Runners-up, losing 3-2 to DRX in the final.
  • 2023: Champions, defeating Weibo Gaming 3-0.
  • 2024: Champions, defeating Bilibili Gaming 3-2.
  • 2025: Champions, defeating KT Rolster 3-2.
  • 2026: Semifinalists so far, with their final placement yet to be decided.

From SKT's First Three Titles to T1's Historic Three-Peat

T1 players lifting the Worlds 2025 trophy after winning the League of Legends World Championship (Image: Riot Games)
T1 lifting the Worlds 2025 trophy (Image: Riot Games)

The organization's first era of dominance came under the SK Telecom T1 name. With Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok in the mid lane, SKT claimed their first Worlds title in 2013 before winning again in 2015 and 2016, becoming the first organization to win three League of Legends World Championships.

That title-winning streak ended in 2017, when Samsung Galaxy swept SKT 3-0 in the final. The organization returned to Worlds in 2019, still competing as SK Telecom T1, but fell 3-1 to G2 Esports in the semifinals. Their 2021 campaign ended at the same stage, this time following a 3-2 defeat to DWG KIA.

T1 returned to the final in 2022 but fell 3-2 to DRX. The following year marked the beginning of another remarkable run.

In 2023, T1 swept Weibo Gaming 3-0 in the final. They followed that up by defeating Bilibili Gaming 3-2 in 2024 to claim their fifth world title. Then, in 2025, they overcame KT Rolster by the same scoreline, bringing their total to six World Championships, including three consecutive titles.

Faker was part of every one of those campaigns. The team's history also features prominently in Know My Name, the official Worlds 2026 music video, which revisits some of the most memorable moments from Faker's career and T1's championship runs.

How Has T1 Performed at Worlds 2026 So Far?

T1 entered the Worlds 2026 Swiss Stage as the LCK's third seed. Their campaign began on October 23 with a victory over Brazilian representatives LOS in the opening round.

They suffered their first and only Swiss Stage defeat in the next round against Dplus KIA. T1 then bounced back with a win over CTBC Flying Oyster, moving within one series victory of securing a playoff spot.

Qualification was confirmed on October 28, when T1 defeated Movistar KOI 2-0 to finish the Swiss Stage with a 3-1 series record. They were among the five teams that secured their knockout stage spots before the fifth and final round.

In Friday's quarterfinal, T1 faced Karmine Corp, who had advanced from the Swiss Stage with a 3-2 record. T1 took a 2-0 lead before dropping Game 3, but recovered to close out the series 3-1 and secure another semifinal appearance.

The result also eliminated Europe's last remaining representative from the tournament. With another Top 4 finish already guaranteed, T1 are now chasing their ninth Worlds final appearance and a record-extending seventh world title.

T1 to Face Bilibili Gaming in Worlds 2026 Semifinals

T1 will face Bilibili Gaming on Sunday, November 8, at 2 PM PST / 4 PM CST (Texas) / 5 PM EST / 10 PM GMT / 11 PM CET. The match will take place at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, and will be played as a best-of-five (Bo5) series, with the first team to win three games advancing to the Grand Final.

BLG booked their semifinal spot after sweeping Dplus KIA 3-0 in the quarterfinals, despite needing the fifth and final Swiss Stage round to qualify for the playoffs.

The matchup is also a rematch of the Worlds 2024 final, when T1 defeated the Chinese team 3-2 to claim their fifth world title.

On the other side of the bracket, Invictus Gaming and Gen.G will meet on Saturday, November 7, also at 2 PM PST / 4 PM CST / 5 PM EST / 10 PM GMT / 11 PM CET. The winners of both semifinals will advance to the Grand Final on November 14 in New York City.

Follow Strafe's complete Worlds 2026 coverage for the latest schedule, results, participating teams, and more from the League of Legends World Championship.


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Featured image credit: Riot Games

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