South Korean powerhouse T1, the reigning two-time champions of League of Legends Worlds, has advanced to the tournament’s main Swiss Stage, beginning its highly anticipated bid for an unprecedented sixth global title.
The esports giant secured its progression by defeating China’s Invictus Gaming (IG) in a best-of-five series, winning 3-1. This victory confirmed T1 as the 16th and final team to join the prominent Swiss Stage phase.
The win sets the stage for T1 to defend its consecutive championships, seeking a third straight victory and an overall sixth triumph in the prestigious global competition. Veteran player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok leads the dominant T1 roster.
The qualifying match against IG was part of the tournament’s play-in phase, which commenced on Tuesday. Both T1 and IG entered the competition as fourth seeds from their respective regions, South Korea and China.
T1 is scheduled to play its first Swiss Stage match against FlyQuest on Wednesday, with the game set for early Wednesday morning UTC.