T1 defeated Karmine Corp 3-1 in the last quarter-final of the League of Legends World Championship 2026 on Friday, reaching a sixth consecutive Worlds semi-final and keeping alive their pursuit of a fourth straight world title.
The three-time defending champions were made to work for the win in Allen, Texas. T1 took the opening two games in convincing fashion, winning the first in about 36 minutes with 23 kills to seven, two Barons and 11 towers to two, and the second in around 30 minutes by 20 kills to nine. Karmine Corp refused to fold, however, and dragged the third game out to 44 minutes, securing the Ocean Soul and the Elder Dragon on their way to an 8-6 win that kept the series alive.
T1 closed the series in game four in about 35 minutes. The South Korean side claimed two Barons and the Chemtech Soul, outscoring their opponents 17 kills to eight and taking ten towers to five to seal the 3-1 victory and end Karmine Corp's first ever Worlds campaign.
The decisive moments belonged to T1's bottom lane. Peyz and Keria, widely regarded as the strongest bot-lane pairing in the tournament, built a wall that Karmine Corp could not break through. A triple kill from Peyz swung the momentum in game four, and with the Dragon Soul secured around the 32-minute mark, T1 pressed their advantage home. Camille repeatedly drew Karmine Corp's attention in the side lane, allowing T1 to eliminate Renekton, press their numerical edge and push in to end the game.
The result guarantees T1 at least a third-place finish and $400,000 in prize money, with the chance of far more still in front of them. Karmine Corp, who came through the Play-In stage to reach their debut Worlds, bow out in fifth to eighth place and take home $300,000 in consolation after a run that won them plenty of admirers.
For T1, the win extends a remarkable record of consistency at the top of the game. The organisation has now reached the semi-finals of six consecutive World Championships, and it arrived in Texas as the champion of 2023, 2024 and 2025. No team has ever won four titles in a row, and T1 are now two series away from doing exactly that, with veteran mid-laner Faker still at the heart of the side.
Their route to this point has not been smooth. T1 entered Worlds 2026 as the LCK's third seed, which earned them a direct place in the Swiss stage, where they finished 3-1 after a round-two defeat to Dplus KIA and a 2-0 sweep of Movistar KOI on 28 October. Karmine Corp, by contrast, had to fight through the Play-In in Los Angeles, then finished the Swiss stage 3-2 with 2-0 sweeps of CTBC Flying Oyster and Movistar KOI to reach the knockout rounds.
The semi-final line-up is now complete. T1 will face Bilibili Gaming, the LPL powerhouse, on Sunday 8 November at 5pm ET in Allen, a rematch of the 2024 final which T1 won 3-2. The other semi-final, between Gen.G and Invictus Gaming, takes place on Saturday 7 November, also at 5pm ET. The winners of the two series will meet in the grand final at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday 14 November.
Worlds 2026 began on 15 October in Los Angeles and moved to Texas for the knockout stage, with the final eight chasing the Summoner's Cup and a share of a $5 million prize pool. The quarter-finals were played one series a day from 3 to 6 November, with Invictus Gaming beating Top Esports 3-1, Gen.G sweeping LYON 3-0, and Bilibili Gaming beating Dplus KIA before T1 completed the set against Karmine Corp.
Bilibili Gaming will present a sterner test than anything T1 have faced so far in the knockout stage. The Chinese side swept Hanwha Life Esports 2-0 in the Swiss stage and have looked every bit a title contender, while Gen.G and Invictus Gaming have both shown the form to win the whole event. T1's experience in these moments, and their unbeaten record in Worlds semi-finals in recent years, counts for plenty, but the margins at this stage of the tournament are thin.
Karmine Corp leave Texas with their heads held high. A first Worlds appearance that began in the Play-In ended with a quarter-final against the defending champions, and their game-three victory over T1 was one of the most dramatic of the tournament. The French side, backed by one of the loudest fan bases in the sport, will hope this is the start of a regular presence at the sharp end of international competition rather than a one-off.
For now, though, the story is T1's. Two more wins and they will stand alone as the first team to lift the Summoner's Cup four years running. The first of those tests comes on Sunday against Bilibili Gaming, and the whole of the League of Legends world will be watching.
