T1 survives Telecom War, snatch last spot at Worlds with 5-game nailbiter

The defending League of Legends World champions T1 have finally ended their LCK playoff losing streak, triumphing over KT Rolster in a thrilling five-match “Telecom War” to book their tickets as the final team for Worlds 2024.

The reigning Worlds champs have narrowly avoided a repeat of 2020 and 2018 where the star-studded Korean roster couldn’t qualify for the prestigious tournament. With today’s win, Faker also becomes the only player in the history of League of Legends to advance nine times to Worlds, surpassing the likes of CoreJJ, Deft, Impact, Doublelift, and many other veterans.

T1 didn’t have the best campaign in the LCK 2024 summer split where they ended fourth on the points table. In the playoffs, shock losses to Hanhwa Life, who eventually became the champions of the summer split, were followed by another defeat against Dplus KIA in a close 3-2 series. This left the almighty T1 in a do-or-die match against KT to secure the last spot at Worlds 2024.

KT Rolster started the Telecom War with a huge fumble and they gave a glorious start to the series by giving away an early lead. T1 welcomed the golden platter and wrapped game one easily. KT bounced back into the next match with Pyosik’s decisive Skarner plays and jumped right into the series. While T1 regained momentum on the blue side in the next match, KT did the same in game four and brought the series to Silver Scrapes for the last match.

While KT Rolster started the final match on a strong note, T1 found a great team fight near the Baron in the mid-game and gained a significant lead in the match to punch their tickets to Worlds 2024. T1 is one of the most highly decorated esports teams in the League with four World Championships as well as multiple Mid-Season Invitationals and LCK titles and has appeared in multiple finals across all competitions. 

As T1 qualifies for Worlds 2024, there was much relief on the faces of more than just the players. T1’s presence, mainly due to Faker, helps ensure millions of viewers tune in thanks to their popularity. However, as the defending champions are back on the international stage, they will look to rebound after this sub-par LCK season and will need to come back stronger if they wish to go back-to-back.

Worlds 2024 starts on Sept. 25 as teams from across the globe will be pitted against each other to get their hands on the Summoner’s Cup.