Hanwha Life Esports defeats T1 to qualify for MSI
After a surprisingly one-sided match, Hanwha Life Esports defeated the reigning champions T1 to qualify for MSI at the 2026 LCK Road to MSI.
The LCK is by far considered the strongest League of Legends region. While T1 and Gen.G’s rivalry is iconic, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that recent roster changes put HLE on the same playing field as the two giants.
The addition of Zeus and Gumayusi has seemingly turned the tide in HLE’s favor. The biggest example of this is how the team became the first from the region to qualify for MSI, taking down T1 in a best-of-five match.
HLE becomes first LCK team to qualify for MSI
Despite being the underdog, Hanwha Life Esports comfortably won against T1 to be crowned the champion of the Road to MSI split.
Hanwha Life Esports replaced its previous ADC Viper with Gumayusi, which seemed to have been the right choice. The team comfortably won the previous LCK split and got the best seed at Road to MSI. The best-case scenario was that the team would win against T1 in the third round, ensuring it qualifies for MSI after just playing one match.
The best-of-five series had expectations through the roof, especially since Faker has been in top form recently. However, the crowd’s expectations shifted when Delight led HLE to victory in the first game. The support player’s insane engages as Camille helped the team get a decisive victory.
T1 qualifying for EWC 2026. Image credit: T1
While HLE had a decent lead in the second game, Keria showed why he’s considered the best support player in the world. His Rakan knock-ups helped T1 get the advantage, which the team then used to ultimately capture the entire game.
The third game was what could only be called a Kanavi masterclass. HLE’s jungler dismantled the opposition as Lee Sin, not giving anyone from the enemy team the chance to go positive. With a 2-1 score in HLE’s favor, T1 was clearly feeling the pressure. It may be because of this pressure that the fourth game went the way it did.
The fourth game in the series was another massacre. While Doran and Oner held their own, Faker got absolutely outplayed by Zeka’s Yone, despite playing Azir. Peyz couldn’t get the kills to properly scale, ultimately resulting in HLE getting the victory and moving to MSI.
This doesn’t mean that things are over for T1. The team has another shot to qualify for MSI by taking down Gen.G in the final round. Fans of the reigning world champions hope that the team can get out of its slump. Otherwise, it may end up missing MSI this year.
What other teams have qualified for MSI?
While HLE was the first team to qualify for MSI from the LCK, most other regions have already confirmed their teams.
Top Esports was the first team to qualify for MSI from the LPL. However, the regional grand final will determine the second team to participate. The LCS is on the same boat, with LYON being the only team to have qualified so far.
Aside from these teams, Furia is the CBLOL’s representative, while G2 Esports and Karmine Corp are representing the LEC. Secret Whales and Deep Cross Gaming performed exceptionally enough to qualify for MSI from the LCP. Now, expectations are through the roof for this year’s tournament.
Feature image credit: HLE
Hannan Mundia is a lifelong gamer. Don’t believe us? Just ask him. But don’t ask how many hours he’s spent playing. He’s been gaming since the age of three, and much of his live revolves around video games and the video game industry. Whether it’s a classic Legend of Zelda game from Nintendo, the newest Bethesda RPG, or something else entirely, you can bet that Hannan is ready and willing to play it.
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