T1 take down Weibo Gaming 3-0 to win LoL Worlds in Korea

Korea’s T1 defeated Chinese team Weibo Gaming 3-0 to win the 2023 League of Legends World Championship in Seoul on Sunday, claiming their fourth title and ending a six year drought.

Chinese team Weibo Gaming, left, and Korea's T1 stand on stage during the opening ceremony before the first match of the best-of-five final round at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on Sunday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Korea’s T1 defeated Chinese team Weibo Gaming 3-0 to win the 2023 League of Legends World Championship in Seoul on Sunday, claiming their fourth title as the most successful team in the tournament's history.

The Korean hometown favorites walk away from the tournament with the coveted Summoner’s Cup and a grand prize of $445,000 — 20 percent of the $2,225,000 prize pool.

T1’s crowning as this year’s champions was the culmination of six weeks of intense competition that whittled down a pool of 22 teams from four global regions to a final two.

It marked T1’s fourth-ever Worlds victory, following previous wins in 2013, 2015 and 2016 when they were known as the team SK Telecom T1.

Last year, the Korean hometown favorites let slip their chance to bring home the trophy after losing 3-2 to fellow Korean team DRX, a lower-seed, whose underdog story became the foundation for this year’s Worlds marketing and the inspiration behind the music video for the 2023 Worlds anthem, “Gods.”

Every player who narrowly lost last year returned to the final stage on Sunday. It was especially sweet for star player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, 27, who has played on every championship-winning T1 squad. His teammates — all in their late teens and early twenties, affectionately call him “Hyung,” which translates to older brother in Korean.

T1's Lee ″Faker″ Sang-hyeok, 27, arrives for the final round of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The Korean team earlier bested top-ranked — and then-undefeated — Chinese team JD Gaming 3-1 in the semifinals, held in Busan, earning a spot in the finals and a chance to again sit at the brink of glory.

For fans of Esports, the annual LoL World Championship, colloquially called Worlds, is analogous to football’s World Cup and baseball’s World or Korean or Nippon Series.

Tens of thousands of fans lucky enough to score a ticket to watch the finals live made the pilgrimage to Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on Sunday. Huge lines formed outside of the stadium hours before the final’s official start as scores of fans stopped for pictures with cosplayers in elaborate costumes.

Meanwhile, hundreds more local and international Esports fans gathered at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul for a viewing party where they watched the final live, together, on the big screen.

The Square became a "mecca" for Esports this year for the LoL Championship as part of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s efforts to promote the tournament.

The fans cheered for their teams throughout the final, mirroring the Square almost exactly one year ago where Korean fans of football cheered for the national team during the 2022 World Cup.

League of Legends fans arrive at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul ahead of a viewing party for the LoL Worlds final on Sunday. [YONHAP]

A long white wall, designated the “T1 Cheering Wall” had filled up with signatures by Saturday night with fans writing messages to their favorite players on their hometown team.

Sunday’s final round transformed Gocheok Sky Dome, a typical baseball stadium of the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes, into an off-screen Summoner’s Rift where artificial rocks surrounded the competition stage, a circle in the middle of the stadium.

The sold-out stadium at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul turns the color red for the final round at the 2023 League of Legends World Championship on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Ahead of the final match on Sunday, a flashy opening ceremony blended the virtual world with reality as animated members of the virtual LoL boyband, Heartsteel, performed alongside their real world counterparts in front of a captivated audience.

K-pop girl group NewJeans then took the stage, performing live for the first time this year’s Worlds anthem, “Gods,” which blasted on repeat outside and inside the dome.

Then the games began. It was a stark contrast to last year’s final round in San Francisco, which was pushed to five games and lasted upwards of four hours. Throughout the match, T1 played confidently and remained stone-faced as they reached the final seconds of each game of the best-of-five series, with smirks peeking through as they secured their victory.

But it was the ultimate celebration in the Sky Dome on Sunday as the team members formed a circle on the stage, jumping up and down together in victory, surrounded by the sound of their fans’ roars.

Next year’s World Championship final will take place at The O2 arena in London, Riot Games announced Sunday ahead of the match.

BY MARY YANG AND PAIK JI-HWAN [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]