T1’s Three-peat Dominance Secures KeSPA Cup Victory

T1’s first-ever win took place in the “2025 LoL KeSPA Cup,” Korea’s sole ‘League of Legends’ off-season short-term tournament in 2025, which was exclusively aired on Disney+.

At the final match on the 14th, T1 secured a 3-2 victory over Hanwha Life e-Sports in a complete set showdown, marking their first win in the KeSPA Cup and maintaining their streak of three straight LOL World Cup titles.

Before this, Hanwha Life e-Sports, D-Plus Kia, T1, and Nongshim Red Force secured their spots in the semifinals due to their performance in the group stage and LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier) finals, which started on the 6th. On the first day of the finals, D-Plus and Hanwha Life Insurance each won their matches to progress to the winner’s group final, while in the clash between Nongshim Red Force and T1, T1 emerged victorious to reach the loser’s group final. In the winner’s group final, Hanwha Life defeated D-Plus and directly advanced to the final. In the loser’s group final, T1 lost the first two sets against D-Plus but eventually won with a score of three to five sets to confirm their place in the final.

The finals’ Most Valuable Player was Kim Soo-hwan, who has signed with T1 for the upcoming season. Kim Soo-hwan stated, “As soon as I became part of the team, I believe I started off well by winning the KeSPA Cup. The teammates are truly skilled, making the gameplay enjoyable. Moving forward, I aim to train harder for next year’s new season and win as many trophies as possible,” he mentioned. T1 received the KeSPA Cup trophy along with 60 million won in prize money, while the MVP was given 2 million won in rewards.

The event was organized by the Korea e-Sports Association, aired exclusively on Disney+, and supported by Logitech G. All game replays can be viewed on Disney+.

Specifically, 14 teams in total took part in this year’s event, including 10 LCK teams, the All-Star teams from Vietnam and Japan, as well as C9 and Team Liquid from LCS (North America). This provided a platform for Korean players to test their new team formations and assess their strength ahead of the next season, while also evaluating their international competitiveness in advance. Furthermore, as a competition used to review national team selection criteria, the results will be utilized to choose national players in the future.