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The League of Legends World Championship or Worlds is one of the most exciting tournaments to watch as the top teams from each region worldwide battle it out for the title of champion and the prize money. Worlds 2023 is already gearing up to be an exciting international tournament with all regions winding up their respective summer splits to decide which teams will represent them at this year-ender. At the start of the year, Riot Games confirmed that Worlds 2023 is heading to South Korea in October. The publisher has also already sold out tickets for all the stages.
Given that this year South Korea will be hosting Worlds 2023, let us take a closer look at all the Korean teams that have won Worlds and etched their names on the Summoner’s Cup till date.
Korean teams at LoL Worlds: A joy to watch
The League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) is recognized as arguably the best league in League of Legends Esports and is known for its textbook plays. Clean teleports, coordinated team fights around objectives, and impeccable communication are the name of the game in LCK and the number of Worlds titles this region has speaks for itself.
While the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) and the LCK are regarded commonly as the heavyweights of the League of Legends esports scene, the LCK has managed to clinch more trophies than the Chinese league.
Since the inception of Worlds, South Korea has won seven titles. Here's a list of all the teams from Korea's LCK that won the Worlds title:
2013: SK Telecom T1
2014: Samsung Galaxy White
2015: SK Telecom T1
2016: SK Telecom T1
2017: Samsung Galaxy
2020: Damwon Gaming
2022: DRX
SK Telecom T1 or T1
T1 is one of the most storied organizations In the history of LoL Esports and the team is synonymous with its star player Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok. SK Telecom T1 (SKT T1) holds the most number of trophies and has the most number of Worlds finals appearances. After winning three titles in 2013, 2015, and 2016, the team came so close to winning it all again in 2017 and 2022. Despite a turbulent season in 2023, the team will be looking to book a slot to Worlds 2023 and uphold its record at the world tournament.
Samsung White and Samsung Galaxy
In 2014, Samsung White won World by defeating China's Star Horn Royal Club with a 3-1 record. Notably, Samsung White and its sister team Samsung White later merged due to "one organization - one pro team" rules by Riot Games. Samsung Galaxy then placed second at Worlds 2016 and was crowned the champion of the 2017 World Championship. Samsung Galaxy's rosters and the LCK spot was later acquired by KSV Esports, now Gen.G.
Damwon Gaming
Damwon Gaming brought back South Korea to the top by winning Worlds 2020 by winning against China's Suning Gaming. This was the first time since 2017 that an LCK team has played in the final and won the coveted Summoner’s Cup. For two years, in 2018 and 2019, the LPL completely dominated the year-ender tournament. Notably, Damwon was the favorite to win the tournament after having a spectacular season at LCK and interestingly, at Worlds, it only dropped a few games.
DRX
DRX won the coveted Worlds trophy in 2022 after an electrifying best-of-five (BO5) series against T1 that went down to the wire. A fourth seed team has never won Worlds and yet DRX rewrote League of Legends Esports history by hoisting the Summoner's Cup, completing its underdog story. DRX's star player Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu was the talk of the tournament as he took on his schoolmate Faker on the international stage.
Notably, Deft finally broke his semi-final curse and made it to the grand final of Worlds 2022 to meet Faker and his former support Ryu "Keria" Min-seok, winning the title against all odds. 2022 Worlds was truly a Cinderella run for LCK's fourth seed.
Worlds 2023 will certainly be a blockbuster event as Riot Games has implemented major format changes to the tournament compared to previous years. There's going to be best-of-three (BO3) series, a swiss-style stage and and a brand new Worlds Qualifying Event. Additionally, a total of 22 teams will be participating. The tournament is scheduled to kick off on 10th October.
